


When the Night is Over

by xychedelics



Category: Amar a Muerte (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, F/F, Hate to Love, Rough Sex, hilarious bantering, loads of Juliantina sexy times, no one dies :)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2019-11-08 07:04:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 33,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17976650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xychedelics/pseuds/xychedelics
Summary: Bodyguard AU || Investigative journalist Valentina Carvajal exposes the corruption of a Mexican political party and its affiliation to the country’s biggest drug cartel. The revelation puts her life in constant peril yet she stubbornly refuses to flee the country to seek political asylum. Worried about their sister's safety, Eva and Guillermo hire a bodyguard for Valentina-- a former captain in the army by the name of Juliana Valdés. Juliana’s over-vigilance to protect Valentina does not sit right with the freedom-embracing lifestyle of the journalist. They do not see eye to eye on a lot of things. Having spent most of their time together, the tension between the client and the protector slowly develops from disdain to undeniable attraction and to possibly love. On a foiled assassination plot, Juliana is in critical condition after saving Valentina’s life.Is it too late for Valentina to reveal her true feelings to her savior?P.S. This is the total opposite of my cutesy Juliantina Childhood Sweethearts AU. Juliana is a total badass and Valentina seduces her constantly.





	1. The Price of Freedom

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: The political conditions of Mexico painted in this narrative are all fictitious. This is in no way representing the real geopolitical climate of the country nor does it imply my opinions about it. Any similarities (names, occurrences etc.) are purely coincidental.
> 
> However, I'm a social sciences nerd so time to flex a bit of my political and sociological muscle in lesbian fiction. Yay! #makeeverythinggay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valentina survives an assassination plot. Eva and Guillermo discuss possible ways to protect their sister. Meanwhile, Juliana has just left the military and has been having a tough time lately. Down on her luck, she approaches her friend Sergio for help.

> _Breaking News!_
> 
> _A bombing in Cuauhtémoc kills 3 activists and injures 9 others. The target of the bombing is believed to be Valentina Carvajal, founder of the group of female vigilantes who call themselves_ ‘Soldaderas.' _These women have had their headquarters here in the delegación of Cuauhtémoc fronting secretly as a tailoring shop until these explosions happened revealing that this is in fact where they have been conducting their operations. Authorities have the suspected bombers in custody and have yet to do further investigation on who really plotted the assassination. Acclaimed journalist Carvajal did an exposé called_ The NarcoPol Papers _on_ Alianza Revolucionaria _’s connection with the biggest drug cartel in the country,_ La Muerte Cartel _. This has resulted to a massive government shakedown with the involvement of 53 politicians in senate and congress under investigation for graft, and the incarceration of 26 having been found guilty on counts of corruption. President Servando Armenta is under scrutiny for the slow court proceedings on the remaining 53 alleged narco-politicians. This is the biggest political scandal to have ever hit Mexico. Valentina is the youngest sibling of media moguls, Eva and Guillermo Carvajal of Carvajal Media Inc. which almost filed for bankruptcy last fiscal year after being affected by the release of_ The NarcoPol Papers. _The assassination plot is just one of the many backlashes that the Carvajals face._
> 
> _This is Renata Barranco reporting live from Cuauhtémoc, Ciudad de México._

“Your brilliant sister is the darling of news media again, Guille.” Eva cynically remarked as she paced back and forth, her high heels clicked and clacked on the floor outside the emergency room of the hospital. “This is not good publicity for the company. The worst thing they could possibly think about Carvajal Media is some propagandist media outlet scrutinizing the government. You know Armenta is close to declaring a dictatorship. That asshole can close down our company in a blink of an eye.” The eldest Carvajal angrily whispered under her breath worried that someone might hear her berating the government.

Guillermo grazed his fingers on his chin and bowed his head in frustration. He stared blankly on the dirty-white tiled floors knowing that his older sister had a point. Carvajal Media had just recently recovered from a massive loss in their company after the shares of their company fell due to Valentina’s exposé. The board members and shareholders, most of whom were Mexican aristocrats, assumed that Carvajal Media was challenging Armenta’s government and they did not want to be included in the foreboding mess of corporations vs. government.

“Now is not a good time to worry about what people think about the company or if Armenta thinks we're part of our sister’s anti-government propaganda. That's the least of our concerns when we almost lost Valentina.” Guillermo spoke as he looked up at the clock hanging by the nurse's station. Valentina had been in the emergency room close to two hours already. He was getting more anxious by the second.

The doors of the emergency room suddenly swung open. Guillermo rose to his feet, and the two siblings hurriedly approached Valentina’s doctor who gave them some good news. The patient was awake and conscious. She did not sustain massive injuries, just a few cuts and bruises from the shrapnel that flew from the blast. As soon as they saw their youngest sister on the hospital bed with bandages all over her face and body, Guillermo tore up. He hated seeing his sister in a bad and helpless state. He squeezed Valentina's hand and he turned away to brush the tears forming in his eyelids. Eva, on the other hand, gently stroked the top of her sister’s head. Valentina’s selflessness was very apparent as the first things she had asked was how the rest of her team was doing. The 8-woman group who called themselves _Soldaderas_ lost two of their hackers and an undercover agent from the bombing.

“Ana, María, and Daniela are gone. Ana was taken to surgery immediately but they weren’t able to revive her. The rest of your group are getting medical attention here too, and they’re fine.” Eva explained.

Valentina’s tears inevitably fell. Losing her comrades on their fight to expose the ills of the government was one of the worst things she could imagine. This was her biggest nightmare in fighting the societal evils head on. She knew the consequences of their actions. She had been expecting either the narco-politicians of _Alianza Revolucionaria_ or El Alacrán to strike their revenge and come after her and the other women. Death threats were a daily dose in her life as an activist, but the bombing that morning was something that she failed to anticipate.

As Valentina tried to explain what had happened moments before the explosion, Eva interrupted. “You’re too stubborn and idealistic, Vale! This is what I’ve been telling you all this time. You could have joined me and Guille run the company but you always have to put your stupid principles first. This is not some comic book fantasy of you being a hero saving the world. You're not Wonder Woman. That’s not how real life works.”

Valentina was used to her older sister's frankness. She knew what she had gotten herself into when she formed a group of vigilante women hungry to take down Mexico's corrupt government. This scathing sermon was like a broken record playing inside her head repeatedly-- play, jump, pause, repeat. She could always hear Eva's voice whenever she took these leaps of faith.

“Why do you think Guille practices corporate law instead of human rights law? So he doesn’t end up in a casket.” Eva unintentionally reminded Guillermo of a grim time in his life. When he was still in law school, Guillermo was a student activist. One of his good friends who was already a human rights lawyer then, Antonio, was sent to jail after a confrontation with the police. He was framed for killing a police officer during a riot. Antonio came from a high-profile family yet the best lawyers of the country had nothing on the justice system’s indigence for due process. Even no amount of bribery got him out-- until eventually, he perished in prison. The authorities tried to pin his death on the prisoners but it was obvious that the police did it themselves. Antonio still criticized the government even behind bars, even to death.

“ _Hermana,_ can you please stop?” The tone of Guillermo’s voice always rose when he was reminded of his close friend’s unjust death. “Vale’s already injured. Stop with your tirades and chill for a second.” He attempted to quiet the eldest Carvajal-- and perhaps himself too.

“Chill? How can I chill the fuck out when our sister might be dead the next time we’re back here in the hospital?” The head of the Carvajal family had the tendency to jump to the worst case scenarios in times of crisis. “Fuck that. What if she ends up in a morgue?" That was the two siblings nightmare. _"Ay dios mio,_ Vale. If you end up dead from your activism, I’ll look for a _bruja_ to bring you back to life just so I can kill you again.”

Guillermo and Valentina looked at each other and smirked. Eva's hilarious comment made the atmosphere in the room feel lighter. It was a joke, but they knew it was half-meant. It sounded something that Eva would really do.

“Why not try seeking political asylum in Switzerland or the Netherlands?” Guillermo suggested. "I have colleagues who can certainly help you in your application."

“And be faraway from you two? That’s not possible, Guille. This won’t stop me and the girls from taking down these bastards fooling the citizens of our country. Armenta is on the verge of declaring a dictatorship. We can't let that happen. We have to get this asshole behind bars.” Valentina valorously declared. Valorous Val-- that was what the other women called her.

“So when are you going to stop? Until you’re president of Mexico? Until you receive a Nobel Peace Prize? What’s the end game here? You can’t do this forever.” Eva spoke as a matter of fact.

“I’ll keep doing what I love to do until I don’t.”

“You mean, until you’re dead?”

“Eva!” Guillermo stared down his older sister. Her jokes and warnings about Valentina being dead were not funny anymore. He was afraid that the more she said it out loud, the more it was likely to happen.

“I’m just saying we have got to have some plan here to not get our sister killed while she does what she “loves” to do. Guille, any brilliant ideas?”

The young man could not think of any more ideas. He thought seeking political asylum was Valentina's best bet, but he also knew she would not fully agree to it because her country of refuge will give her conditions. One of the conditions would ask her to lessen being a staunch critic of the country's government, openly berating it whilst off shore. The siblings were stumped for their next move. Each of them ruminated in silence. What Valentina could only bring herself to think about was how she lost the other women in the bombing. She wished she could have done something to protect them, something to have warned them but she did not see this type of backlash coming too. Part of her felt guilty even when these women were just as determined as she was to bring the citizens the truth about the corrupt government.

“Since you don’t want to apply for political asylum," Eva broke the silence and sat on the side of the hospital bed, "why not get a private bodyguard like one of my _amigas_ Lucía?” Eva's proposal sounded preposterous to Valentina.

“A stalker? Have someone follow me everywhere I go? No, thanks. I've got plenty of idiots following my every move already.” Valentina knew the multitude of strange men spying on her everywhere she went. Her stealth and cautiousness of her whereabouts were useless-- they knew where to find her. The evil masterminds had eyes on her. The bombing was undeniable proof of that. Valentina was put off by her sister's suggestion.  

“To protect you, Vale! We’ll pay for it. We all know _Soldaderas'_ benefactors don’t donate that much anyway.”

Guillermo rolled his eyes again at how their older sister could be so brash with her choice of words, but he understood it was a better idea rather than letting Valentina freely roam with death threats hanging over her head. Valentina, without a bodyguard, seemed like a soldier going to warfare without any armor or ammunition.

“Look, Vale," Guillermo spoke as gently and as concerned as he could, "we want to keep you out of danger the best way we know how-- and we honestly don't know if this is the best way, but it seems to be the most rational one given that you don't want to leave the country. Please don’t take it the wrong way. We don’t want to take you away from your passion and your freedom. We’ll even choose the person who will look after you personally. We won’t just get anyone. We’ll pick someone who’s capable of protecting you and whom we can trust. Is that all right?”

"Will you two stop bugging me if I finally say yes?" Valentina's concurrence was half-hearted, but it seemed like Guillermo's pandering got to her. She understood where her siblings were coming from-- they were willing to go through what she thought were ridiculous lengths to at least try to keep her safe. There was nothing safe about confonting a dictatorial government, she knew that. The young woman bit her lip and tasted her own blood. She caught a small glimpse of herself on the translucent windows of the room. She did look helpless with her face and arms all patched up in bruises and scratches, in stitches and bandages. She tried moving her lower body and it ached when she tried lifting her left leg. She knew Armenta and Alacrán will not stop until she was dead. Valentina did not want her last breath to be from the disgusting hands of the two evil men. She would have them pay for their crimes before they caught her dead. She was fighting the best fight she had within her, and perhaps-- for just a tiny bit-- it would take some weight off of her shoulders for someone to fight some of the battles she could not.

 

* * *

 

[ Tap, tap, tap... ]

Juliana Valdés knocked on the front door of the only friend she knew in Mexico City. She adjusted the bag hanging over her shoulder which contained the remaining belongings she only had at the moment-- a bunch of dirty clothes that she had worn in the last three weeks she had returned in the capital, half-empty toiletries, a few poetry books that meant something to her (although she could recite most of it to memory), and a wallet that had cash to last her a few more days. She thought of going back to Oaxaca, her hometown where her mother lived but she did not have enough money. She had used up most of it living in hostels, for her meals, transport and necessities for job applications after she left the military. On her other hand she held the guitar she used to entertain herself when she got bored and lonely in the military base in Mérida. it was her most prized possession of the little belongings she had, playing it made her a bit optimistic on the days that her future seemed to be grim. She caught sight of herself on the reflective surface of the elevator she just passed. For her, it felt weird that she was just wearing a plain white shirt and jeans for the past days ever since she decided not to renew her contract. She neither donned her scarlet beret and camouflage outfit, nor her well-ironed khaki uniform. A rifle no longer slung over her shoulder, her index finger no longer rested readily near the trigger just in case she needed to shoot something or someone. It felt odd that she was a civilian again. She was not the young and promising _Capitana Primera_ Juliana Valdés of the Mexican Army. She was just Juliana Valdés-- a young woman whose future laid rueful and bleak. The past days that she did not have a permanent place to stay in made her doubt her decision to leave the army.

[ Tap, tap, tap... ]

 _"Un momento, por favor!"_ Her friend called out behind the door and she looked away from her reflection. She was quite anxious about approaching her friend about needing a place to stay. She had been in Mexico City for three weeks now and she had not found any job yet. She was living from one hostel to another trying to budget the last of her savings. Her resources would be scarce in the next few weeks so she got the courage to finally ask for help. A few seconds later, someone finally answered the door.

"Captain Juliana Valdés! What a surprise! Come in! Come in!" Sergio excitedly gave his good friend a tight hug and helped her out with her stuff. The young man had been preparing supper as she was enveloped with the delectable smell of a home-cooked meal as soon as she stepped in his abode. She felt her stomach grumble.

“It has been quite a long time since we last saw each other, huh? When was it that you were here in Mexico City? A year ago or two?" Her friend tried to recall.

"A year and a half I guess?" Juliana answered. On the weeks she would be allowed to have vacations, she would spend most of her time in Oaxaca with her mother and then visit the capital briefly to see Sergio before going back to her station.

"So what's up with _Capitana_ Valdés. Have you been breaking men’s hearts and sweeping girls off of their feet like the old times?” Sergio teased.

“Nah. No action happening here. But look at you, Mr. Big Shot!” Juliana deferred attention from herself and observed her friend's apartment space. It looked elegant. It looked like the space of someone who had their life together-- unlike her.

"What brings you to the capital, _mi amiga?_ You're currently stationed in Mérida at Yucatán, right?"

“Well, not anymore. I chose not to renew my contract with the military.”

“Why? But before you answer, hold that thought...” Sergio rushed to the kitchen and flipped the pieces of chicken he was cooking. "I've made enough for two so you don't have to worry about dinner anymore. You know I make a mean mole sauce!"

Juliana was thankful for her friend's hospitality. She followed Sergio to his cooking space and took a seat atop the marble kitchen counters.

"So why did you leave the military?" The young man opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of beer for his guest.

“Personal reasons…” The ex-soldier vaguely answered as she downed her cold lager to nearly half of the bottle. She was exhausted and parched for the whole day. She swished the bitter brew around her mouth.

"What are these personal reasons might I ask? Since when have you hidden anything from me?"

“Corruption. One of the generals secretly tried recruiting me to work for the narcos. Can you believe that? They told me not to tell anyone else they would kill me. But I trust you so shut the fuck up, ok?”

Sergio shook his head and clicked his tongue in disappointment. He understood why Juliana was this adamant in leaving the military. Their fathers used to work together in the police force as partners. Juliana's father was killed in an encounter with the Los Zetas Cartel in their hometown in Oaxaca. Juliana's rage towards the drug cartel and to avenge her father's death was what led her to enlist in the military.

"I'm not even surprised to be honest. After those NarcoPol Papers got released to the public, I'm not sure who to trust in the government anymore. There was even a bombing in Cuauhtémoc today-- it's just a few blocks away from here."

"A bombing? Here?" Juliana was not able to keep track of any news in the past days. She could not get herself to think about anything but finding any means to keep herself alive and fed the past days.

"It was an assassination plot to Carvajal. She's the leader of those _Soldaderas_ who released the NarcoPol Papers."

"Such a brave woman, isn't she? But she signed a contract with death when she decided to go after El Alacrán. We almost caught that _pendejo_ in one of our operations-- but I have a feeling Armenta is backing him up because he always gets away. Alacrán is a _regio_ and Armenta is the _Jefe de Jefes."_

"Are you sure you were in the infantry division instead of the intelligence agency?" Sergio kidded.

"Sergio, it's not rocket science. Why else would Armenta stall the court proceedings? He was not named in the NarcoPol Papers because the _Soldaderas_ don't have solid proof of his involvement yet. I've read the whole thing. The _Soldaderas_ will not release information unless they have indisputable facts enough to bring the most powerful man in the country behind bars. They know what they're doing."

 

* * *

 

The long-time friends began eating their supper. Juliana ate like she had not eaten in days-- which was fairly true to some extent. Sergio was just glad watching his friend ravage over the meal he cooked. He assumed that Juliana just really enjoyed his cooking. He felt appreciated.

“So how’s the civilian life treating you?" Sergio opened a few more bottles of beer-- one for him and one for her-- and slid it across to Juliana.

“Not so well, I must admit. I didn’t know going back to the “normal” world was this difficult, Sergio. I’ve tried applying for any job that I could find and I came up empty." Juliana did not have a college education. She enlisted when she was only 16, when she was at the height of her anger at the narcos for killing her father.

"The economy is not helping at all too. The inflation rate is ridiculous!" Sergio took a hefty bite of a chicken slathered generously with mole sauce.

"Hey, man..." The ex-soldier cleared her throat and began with what she had been meaning to say when she arrived, "the thing is, and I really feel embarrassed that I have to ask you for this but..." Juliana swallowed hard. "Is it all right if I can stay with you for a couple of days-- only until I get back on my feet. I won't stay too long. Just as I get a job and find a place to settle in, I'll be out of here."

"Don't be such a stranger! You know you're like a sister to me. Stay as long as you need. No rush." Sergio and Juliana became friends when their fathers, who were still both in the police force that time, decided to sign their kids up for taekwondo classes. Sergio was not too excited to take the classes because Juliana always beat him in their sparring sessions. Even when the young boy chose not to continue his training, she still remained close friends with Juliana. Like most Mexican boys, he enjoyed football more and chose that hobby to keep himself busy when they were still kids. On the other hand, Juliana went to have a black belt in taekwondo-- as she had great interest in other martial arts too.

"Thank you so much, Sergio. This would help a lot." She felt a sense of relief wash over her.

"Of course. Anything for you, _hermana."_  The buddies bumped their fists together.

“You need a job, right? How about this,” Sergio took a quick swig from his beer and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, “you become a private bodyguard like me. All you have to do is just look badass and cool all the time. I honestly don't use my training in the job too much. Who am I going to beat up? An overly aggressive fan asking for an autograph?" Sergio snorted at how ridiculous that sounded. "Who knows? You might be protecting a beautiful woman like Lucía.” He winked at his friend knowing that she had a streak of beautiful blonde ex-girlfriends. Sergio was the bodyguard of television’s primetime sweetheart, Lucía Borges. Not only was he going to exclusive parties with his beautiful boss, but he also got paid handsomely. It explained why he had a wonderful bachelor's pad at downtown Mexico City and the convertible sports car he just bought last time she visited him.

“Blondes aren’t really my thing anymore.” Juliana teased.

“But money is.” Sergio quipped. He was right. The money, no matter how big or small, would surely help her get back to her feet-- get her her own place and have properly cooked meals.

“I’ll recommend you to my recruiter first thing tomorrow. For sure you’ll get the job! I mean, there aren't a lot of people who were trained in several martial arts." Sergio took another bite and continued to talk through his chewing. "You served in the military. You were even a fucking sniper-- an expert, _Capitana Primera!_ ” The young man exclaimed in pride for his friend.

Sergio's praises were making Juliana blush. It was the first time in a while that she thought things might start looking up for her.

“So what do you say?”

“All right. It’s worth a shot.” Juliana did finger guns. She really did not have a choice-- and this option was pretty good itself. Sergio laughed at his friend's unintentional pun. His excitement waxed over her, and she decided at the moment that this was what she wanted to do for the time being.

“Now that’s the badass Juliana Valdés I know!” Sergio raised his bottle, “To new beginnings.”

“To new beginnings.” Juliana echoed him as she clinked her bottle with his. She heaved a sigh of relief knowing that she would take a break from facing the narcos this time. The possible opportunity excited her. Her future no longer seemed rueful and bleak. It held a promise again.


	2. A Bad Town for Such a Pretty Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juliana is recruited as a bodyguard but is daunted with one hilarious requirement for the job. Eva and Guillermo find the perfect bodyguard for Valentina. The first meeting of the client and protector turns surly with the Valentina's hesitance to cooperate. Noticing how uptight her client is, Juliana intentionally begins flirty banter with Valentina which further frustrates her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will also be known as the chapter we discover that Juliana is a dorky badass.  
> I also present to you-- a better Juliana x Sergio BroTP than the one canon offered.  
> This is the song that Juliana is listening to in her "training" scene:  
> https://open.spotify.com/track/3LBkRFoMoyWzhdUeIMJKrc?si=17aj-mA3QJKGT75LbaO-PA  
> I made a playlist and fic poster for this one just like what I did for the Childhood Sweethearts AU. Check it out! Links after this chapter.

It was quarter past ten in the morning when Juliana arrived in the private security agency in Azcapotzalco where Sergio recommended her to his recruiter, _Señor_ Montilla. The ex-soldier went earlier than the time they agreed upon-- as always with her appointments. The waiting room was enveloped in ringing silence as she sat on a semi-cushioned chair that squeaked in the tiniest of her movements. The ticking of the small clock behind the secretary’s desk seemed to reverberate around the room. A sole light bulb weakly illuminated the room, and walls the color of concrete even made the space even more dimly lit. It reminded her of an interrogation room.

Starting over was something she had not imagined. The life she only knew for the past years was in the military-- where she trained, received orders from her superiors, gave orders to the soldiers under her, executed tactics she had a hand in planning and maneuvered through unexpected obstacles in the field. Little did she know that the latter was the most important thing she learned after getting out of her contract in the military-- maneuvering herself back to civilian life.

“ _Capitana Primera_ Juliana Valdés! It is an honor to meet you!” A middle-aged man with an overgrown beard appeared from the door across the room. He fixed his polka-dotted tie and straightened up his suspenders before extending his arm to greet the young woman. They entered an office with nothing but steel cabinets lined up in opposing walls of the room. Atop Montilla's desk was a small lamp, a laptop and a glass ashtray that held a half-burnt cigarette. Perhaps he had not finished it noticing that it was time for his appointment with Juliana.

"Please take a seat." The man offered while putting on the glasses that hung over his neck.

Juliana handed in her résumé and other official documentations.

“We've already done a background check on you before you came here. You're cleared." The man briefly looked at her and continued to peruse the documents. "Sergio tells me you just got out of the armed forces, is that correct?” The man’s reading glasses slid to the tip of his nose.

“ _Si_ _._ I was in command of a battalion in the infantry division before I decided not to renew my contract."

Montilla seemed not to be listening to her as he was more focused on reading the papers on his hand. “And you hold a blackbelt in taekwondo, eighth dan in judo…” The man’s finger quickly scanned through Juliana’s résumé, mouthing words that he read in passing as he flipped page over and over. “You’re trained in multiple types of firearms, expert and sharpshooter levels... good, good. Oh, a sniper, I see! Very impressive, _Capitana_ Valdés.”

“ _Gracias, señor.”_

“But can you run and jump in heels?” The man removed his thick reading glasses and looked up at her.

“ _Perdón_? I think I heard your question incorrectly, _Señor_ Montilla.” Juliana heard him the first time. She just thought it was an odd question for him to ask.

“I asked if you can run and jump in heels because we have female clients-- most of who are high profile personalities, and they need you in formal events where you have to wear formal attire. Or perhaps for undercover. You have to be prepared even in that kind of situation.” Nothing in the man’s facial expression seemed to say that he was joking. He threw her the question seriously, and Juliana was in disbelief that something like that would be asked of her. 

“I know it sounds like a ridiculous request. However...”

“Of course I can fight in high heels!” Juliana interjected and attempted to make her voice believable because she was lying. The only time Juliana wore heels was when she was required to wear her formal dress uniform during events where the highest ranking officials were present in their base or when she had to escort them. But other than that, she had been wearing her combat boots most often for more than a decade. Wearing high heels during combat sounded preposterous to her.

“If that's the case, I don’t think you need any further training because you have more than a decade’s experience in the military-- and you did not have any bad shots with them nor with the authorities. I can see you’re more than qualified for the job asked of you. What I have to do is just orient you on the rules and etiquette of being a private bodyguard which makes my job a whole lot easier!” The man laughed. 

“Welcome aboard, _Capitana_ Valdés. I’ll let you know when we have a client for you. You can kick your heels up and sit back for a bit while you wait.”

“There’s a waiting period?” Juliana was surprised. She thought she would be assigned readily to a client they had.

“Well, we fit our recruits to the exact needs of our clients. A client of high-risk security would need someone of your capacity. None of our clients match the service you could offer so far.” Montilla explained.

 

* * *

 

Some days after Juliana's meeting with Montilla, she went to a shoe store to buy a pair of high heels with part of the remaining cash that she still had. If the job required her to know how to fight in heels, she would get it done and be the best at it. In Sergio’s apartment, she turned on the stereo and blasted rock music to get in the mindset of being a badass as she trained. She called it “Operation: Combat in High Heels.” She thought fighting in heels was just in movies, but she was damned to know that legit bodyguards did it in real life too. She read that elite female bodyguards in China did most of their training in high heels since there was a great demand for them in the growing number of female CEOs in the country. She used that as motivation.

Juliana started off with something easy; she walked with a pile of books on top of her head and she did effortlessly, perfectly in a span of an hour. She tried to do a little jog in circles in the living room. When she got the hang of it, she progressed from doing sprints from one end of the room to the other. She tried doing kicks and moves for hand to hand combat. She was having difficulty finding her center of gravity at first; she slipped, found her feet landing in awkward angles-- she was certain her feet would hurt so bad in the morning. 

It was a little past seven in the evening when Sergio arrived back in the apartment from work. He was startled at the sight of Juliana sweating profusely, jumping and rolling around in high heels with rock music blasting on the stereo. She would do nerdy dances in between of successfully landing jumps and roundhouse kicks. He found it to be an entertaining sight and decided to silently observe for a moment before making his presence known.

“Who’s a badass bitch in heels? That’s right. It’s Juliana fucking Valdés!” The ex-soldier pep-talked herself. She shook her hips for a tiny dance and banged her head like a rockstar. She seemed to be in the zone, on a world of her own. Juliana sprinted and did a backflip with the help of the wall and landed square near a table with a vase.

“Be careful with that vase! That's expensive…” Sergio’s amusement rapidly turned into anxiety as he realized that Juliana might break the expensive fragile ornaments in his apartment. Juliana could not hear Sergio talking. She was not even aware that he already came back from work. As soon as she rolled on the floor, her feet swooped the side of the table and the vase teetered and fell. Good thing Juliana had fast reflexes and caught it before it hit the floor. When Juliana was finally aware of the homeowner’s presence, she almost dropped the vase again in surprise.

“ _Pinche_ Sergio! You scared me!”

“What the fuck, Juls? No, YOU scared me!”

Juliana finally turned down the stereo so they could hear each other. She grabbed a towel and wiped herself off.

“So Montilla said you have to know how to fight in heels?” Sergio asked.

“You know I’ve been in combat in the deepest parts of the jungle for more than a decade, _güey_. I’ve experienced every terrible condition, under desert-like heat for almost a day, not moving until my _jefe_ gave a signal to snipe my target. Who would have fucking thought that these uncomfortable piece of shits, “ Juliana removed the dreaded pair of footwear and dangled it in the air, “would almost make me tap out from a job?”

“You seem to get the hang of it though.”

“Also, I didn’t think the waiting time would be this long. It has been more than a week.”

“Don’t worry, _güey_. You’ll be hired in no time."

The longer she stayed with his friend, she felt like she owed him more and more. Although it seemed to be all right with Sergio, for her, it was not. She needed a job badly, and she needed it immediately. She was almost out of money.

"By the way, did you get the pack of band-aids I asked you to get?"

"I did. Here." Sergio rummaged for it in his backpack. He stifled his laughter as Juliana painstakingly walked to the couch with calluses, sores and cuts on her feet. He sat across her and watched her tend to her small injuries.

" _Güey?"_ Sergio called for Juliana's attention. "You looked dumb talking to yourself and dancing like this..." The man, in a over-exaggerated manner, imitated Juliana dancing in heels. He swayed his hips side to side, banged his head and pretended to have long luscious hair like she did.

" _¡Pendejo!_  You were standing there for a long time and you didn't tell me?"Juliana threw the pair of heels towards Sergio's face which he quickly dodged. The two friends laughed hysterically. "If you tell anyone, I will scratch the fuck out your sports car with a key! I'm not joking. You watch out, Sergio!" The ex-soldier amused his friend.

 

* * *

 

Juliana was in her part-time job as a dishwasher in a cantina in Polanco when she finally got the call from Montilla about a possible job offer. She quickly ran out of the cantina and told her manager she was quitting even when she was not sure she got the job. Her possible clients urgently wanted to see her.

“This impressive young woman is _Capitana Primera_ Juliana Valdés.” Montilla announced as Juliana stepped into his dimly lit office.

A tall, beautiful woman in an emerald formal dress and an equally dashing man in a suit stood up as soon as she entered the room. Juliana thought Sergio really did mean serious business when he got her signed up for this security gig.

“This is _Señorita_ Eva Carvajal and _Señor_ Guillermo Carvajal.”

 _Carvajal--_ could they be related to the leader of the _Soldaderas?_ Juliana shook hands with the possible clients.

“I’ll let them explain the situation to you so please take a seat.”

“ _Capitana_ Valdés,” Eva began. “I think you're familiar with Valentina Carvajal from the news lately. She’s our sister."

As soon as Juliana heard the name 'Valentina Carvajal,' a slight shiver shot up and down her spine.

"She has been receiving death threats and there was a ploy to assassinate her this week." Eva continued, "we understand that you had been in the military for most of your life, and I think it is an advantage that you have been in some military operations on the drug trade.”

Juliana got a quick glimpse of her records that Eva had on her hands. A photo of her was nestled in a paperclip on a corner of the papers filed carefully in a folder.

> **Name:** Juliana Valdés
> 
> **Age:** 28
> 
> **Sex:** Female
> 
> **Height:** 168 cm
> 
> **Weight:** 130 lbs
> 
> **Hometown:** Ixtlán de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico
> 
> **Best Suited For:** High-risk Protection

“We've read through your records and you seem very impressive. We think you're the perfect person for our Valentina. We know it is a difficult job given the threats on her life seem to come on a daily basis but we’re willing to compensate for it.”

“Aside from your salary, we’re going to get you an apartment next door to hers so you can keep a close eye on her. We’ll pay the lease. But the thing is, we’re still getting it renovated so would it be all right for you to stay in her apartment for a while?” Guillermo added.

“No problem at all.” Juliana was quick to answer yes because she felt bad for overstaying at Sergio's place-- yet, she still had to find out what was in it for her in this job. “I apologize for being too straightforward but how much will I be expecting to receive if I agree to protect your sister?”

“Setting aside the commission for your recruiter, the lowest we could give you is a contract for one and a half million pesos for a year.”

Juliana almost fell off of her seat. She would be paid exponentially more than the wage she received in the military. She was startled at how high they were willing to pay her. Even  _Señor_ Montilla was shocked at the amount.

"Our offer is high because a lot of individuals have already declined. If you're closely following the news, Valentina seems to be the enemy of the state and the narcos. We're disclosing everything you need to know about protecting her because we know this is an extremely risky job."

Juliana was desperate for money and work. She would have said yes to the job even if they only offered her less than half of what they were willing to give.

“When do you want me to start?”

“So is that a yes, _Capitana_ Valdés?” Eva clarified.

Juliana nodded. The siblings who were intently looking at her and holding their breaths were visibly relieved when she agreed to do the job. 

“As soon as possible… perhaps today?” Guillermo proposed.

 

* * *

  

It was sundown when the siblings arrived back with Valentina’s new bodyguard in Torre Carvajal where they made arrangements with Valentina to meet them at Eva’s office. Valentina arrived shortly half and hour after they had. Even when she laid almost dying in the hospital bed, Valentina was hesitant about the idea of having a bodyguard. She held that opinion steadfastly even now-- and was even more sure that she did not need the professional security services since she was quickly recovering. She was certain she did not need one. She could fend for herself if needed.

Guillermo gathered up the Carvajal staff who had to know of Valentina's circumstance-- the drivers, the house staff, the heads of security in their properties, and their assistants.  

“We found the perfect person to give you security.” Eva excitedly told Valentina while the young Carvajal spun around lazily on Eva's office chair. She did not share the same excitement that her siblings had.

“Uhm, ok… where is he?” Valentina surveyed the room for a man with the stock traits of a bodyguard-- someone who was tall and burly, someone who was intimidating to look at with a bulky physique and soulless stare. Someone who looked badass. There was no one that fit the traits of a bodyguard she had in mind.   

“Actually, SHE is here.” Eva rested her hand on Juliana’s broad shoulder.

“Oh… Her…” Valentina paused and lingered on the beautiful woman beside her older sister. She was not impressed. She was certain the woman was not her bodyguard. “I think she may be the missing model that Mateo was looking for in the _La Moda_ magazine shoot you were having downstairs?” Valentina scrutinized her supposed bodyguard. She was dressed simply in tattered loose jeans, a v-neck shirt that showed off her collarbone, and a pair of fading blue high-top converse sneakers. Her arms were well-toned and she had a stunningly strong jawline. Valentina could see that the woman had an exquisite physique even with clothes that did not fit her form. She had a commanding stance-- her shoulders were arched back, but that could easily be the stance of a classically-trained dancer too. The only thing that partly exuded “bodyguard vibes” was her aviator sunglasses framing her perfectly angular face and a tattoo peeping from the sleeves of her left upper arm.  

“This is _Capitana Primera_ Juliana Valdés.” Guillermo introduced Valentina's bodyguard to everyone. Most of the people smiled at her and nodded to acknowledge her. The journalist just had a puzzled look on her face. Juliana happily extended her hand to Valentina. She smiled at her but the blue-eyed woman did not shake her hand. Valentina studied Eva’s and Guillermo’s face carefully, thinking the two were in on a joke. She was in disbelief that a modelesque woman was someone they were passing off as her bodyguard.

“She doesn’t look like she could slay anyone…" Valentina looked at Juliana from head to toe. "But slay the runway, sure. I don't think she could lay a hand on those narcos out to kill me. You’re both kidding me, aren’t you?” The woman stepped back with a disconcerted expression on her face.

Juliana retracted her hand to her pocket and felt embarrassed that her new boss was not glad she was around. She knew her looks were deceiving-- that she did not look the part of the job she was asked to do. Juliana firmly believed that she did not need to speak to prove that she was a skillful combatant and commander-- that she was, in every way, capable of protecting her. She knew she was one of the best people around to keep her safe. 

“Excuse me, Vale? What seems to be the problem?” Eva prodded as she folded her arms across her chest. 

“She is just too…” Valentina searched for the words that could perfectly describe what she felt. She had them, but she thought it to be blunt and perhaps ironic. Her activism was rooted on intersectional feminism, and she knew that her judgment on her supposed bodyguard was a detriment to what she believed in. “She’s just too... distracting.” Valentina intended to say the woman was too beautiful to be a bodyguard but could not say it directly.

“Will that be a problem for the killers running after you or will that only be a problem for you, _señorita_ Valentina?” Juliana took off her aviator sunglasses in a suave manner and stepped closer towards her client. Valentina’s blue eyes grew wide-- _this woman looks so stunning up close and she smells good too,_ she thought to herself. Juliana’s gaze met Valentina’s ocean blue eyes and the journalist swallowed hard noticing the minute space between her and her gorgeous bodyguard.

“Vale, please have some respect and take this seriously.” Guillermo raised his voice. It was a very rare occasion when Guillermo taunted. He did not take it too kindly that Valentina was being rude. He felt embarrassed that Valentina was acting that way in front of Juliana, a soldier who had served their country. “Juliana is a veteran in the army. She commanded soldiers. Do you understand? She had been in military operations where they had to capture drug lords and dealers-- and one of them happens to be your arch enemy, El Alacrán.”

Juliana was relieved that the elder Carvajal siblings at least believed in what she could bring to the table. To be fair with Valentina, Juliana thought the same way about her client. Valentina came from the upper-class. It was difficult for her to believe that someone of her background could ever fight such a perilous battle. She lived comfortably if she had only followed the footsteps of her elder siblings. She would not have had her life put into grave danger with both the government and criminals after her. Instead she was fighting the fight of the working class. Valentina was a true activist-- she aspired for a government that provided the best for the society; where taxes paid went aptly to where they were intended for, not in the pockets of corrupt politicians; where the hard-earned money of the working class afforded them quality living; where she believed that getting people out of poverty would absolutely stray them away from getting into the lucrative world of crime. She believed that the poor people were merely victims, taken advantage as pawns of the kings and queens for the white-collar criminals, in the guise of politicians, who delved into the illegal drug trade. Valentina's worst fears were coming to fruition: Mexico was becoming a narco-state. Juliana believed that Valentina did not have anything to gain from taking down the government-- not unless she wanted to run for office or she was a narcissist who was fueled by fame and notoriety. Genuine altruistic intentions were definitely on Valentina's cards, but Juliana knew that was rare for a person. One in a billion chance. Valentina would still have incredible wealth even when she did not pursue this path she was on. None of this war she instigated altered her status in society. If anything, she was a modern-day revolutionary.

Valentina was silenced. She could not believe that Juliana could stare evil in the eye and not flinch, that she could take a punch and would deck her attacker in the face in retaliation. Juliana extended her arm once again and Valentina finally shook it. She matched the ex-soldier's firm handshake with hers. After her tirades on Juliana, she wondered how the woman could still put on a sweet smile on her face. Guillermo introduced each of the Carvajal's personal staff to the ex-soldier.

“By the way, Vale, Juliana is going to live with you.” Eva casually mentioned as she began stowing documents from her desk to her bag.

“Living with me? Eva, what do you mean she’s living with me? A stranger in my space? I thought we needed more protection, not vulnerability!” Valentina's emotions shot up again.

“She’s staying with you in your apartment until they finish renovating the one next door to yours where Juliana will live.”

“This was not part of our agreement! Guille...” Valentina turned to her brother for support but seemed to agree with everything their older sister had said.

“We need eyes on you 24/7. We are more than anxious now after that bombing. Those threatening anonymous letters, phone calls, text messages were one thing. You were held at gunpoint once AND, should we remind you that you we almost lost you in last week's bombing?” Guillermo was usually calm and collected, but Valentina's nonchalance on her situation infuriated him. 

“I’m totally fine!” Valentina insisted even with a cast and sling supporting her broken arm.

“Juliana," Eva called the bodyguard's attention. "The driver will help you bring your things to Valentina’s apartment.”

Juliana watched her client trying to carefully pick up her bag with a broken arm as they prepared to leave. She rushed to Valentina and assisted her.

“May I please carry that for you?” Juliana asked politely. Her hand slightly brushed Valentina’s hand.

“I’m perfectly capable of doing this on my own.” Valentina quickly swatted her bodyguard’s hand.

On the elevator, Juliana was giving instructions to Alirio, the Carvajal's driver, to always check the chassis of the car for unusual objects before driving as there might be paraphernalia for spying or bombs attached to it. Valentina kept rolling her eyes hearing the bodyguard give orders. She thought they were making too big of a deal with her circumstance.

“After you,” Juliana allowed Valentina to walk in front of her in the parking space.

If Juliana had to be honest, part of her was afraid of taking this job. She was on her own-- she did not have comrades for this mission. She did not have a battalion to command. She was a one-woman army-- and the person she needed to guard from harm was a one-woman riot, supported by several other women who were their own riots themselves. The ex-soldier had been in worse physical and psychological situations but it distraught her that someone like Valentina was put into an incredible amount of stress and she was in denial of it-- she kept brushing it off like it was nothing, that she had something more important to attend to, that there was something more important than her own life. Juliana had a feeling within her that she could not shake off. Out of the missions she had successfully finished in the military and left critically injured, part of her had an unshakable feeling that protecting the spitfire of an activist would be the one that takes her to her grave. The activist found herself insurmountable enemies, devils-incarnated that were impossible to defeat. Siding with her meant they were her enemies too. 

Valentina suddenly turned around to say something to Juliana but she saw her bodyguard spaced out and staring at her.

“ _Capitana?_ If you can please keep your eyes peeled to our surroundings instead of you checking me out, that would be great.”

Juliana was lost in her thoughts and did not realize she was gazing at Valentina’s backside.

“I wasn’t looking at you like 'that', _señorita."_ Juliana defended herself. She held Valentina’s hand to support her as she struggled to climb up the car with a broken arm and a sprained foot but she was only told to _fuck off_. If it were someone else being berated and mocked, they would have had an outburst for how Valentina was being extremely difficult. But Juliana had a lot of patience in her. In spite of Valentina's scornful side comments and teasing, the ex-soldier still helped her get settled and comfortable in the backseat. She noticed that the journalist was still painstakingly recovering from the injuries that she sustained. Valentina kept rubbing her arm as she accidentally bumped it on the car door. Juliana wanted to help her but she did not know what to say without being told off so she just found herself standing there, stupidly watching Valentina. 

“You know... if you keep looking at me like that, you might fall in love with me.” The activist teased in spite of the pain panging on her arm.

“Fall in love with you?” Juliana snorted at that thought. She shook her head and laughed. “So you want to play this game, huh?” Being kind and polite was not working on her new boss. Perhaps she needed to do a different approach, take on a different tactic. She decided she would have to be her cheeky and smug self around her. 

“You think life and death is a game, _capitana?”_ Valentina sarcastically asked.

“Ok, let’s have this pact..." Juliana leaned on the car door and ran her fingers through her ponytail. She looked her new boss in the eye. "I won’t fall in love with you just as long as you don’t fall in love with me, _señorita._ ”

“Well, great. You’ve made things easier for me considering how off-putting your attitude is.” The journalist immediately countered.

“How can you say such a thing? I haven’t been anything but pleasant to you, _señorita_ Valentina.” Juliantina mocked her with her own innocence as she batted her long eyelashes demurely at her.

"But pretending to be charming is not part of your job description, is it?" Valentina cocked an eyebrow.  

“Who says this is all pretend?” Juliana rested her hand on Valentina.  The ex-soldier shot her a wink, closed the car door gently and rode shotgun in front.

Valentina was already annoyed at the fact that she had a stranger following her around-- but someone with this air of cocky confidence hanging around her was unacceptable. She dreaded that Juliana immediately caught on her little ploy. She decided to play  _La_   _Capitana's_  own little game. The ex-soldier was giving instructions again to Alirio, telling him about how the camera footage of the car should always be saved and backed up for future use in surveillance. The journalist was perturbed at how much of a know-it-all her bodyguard was. Alirio adjusted the rear view mirror and Valentina could see a part of Juliana’s face on the mirror from the backseat as they dashed off. She was sort of glad that she finally had an unobstructed view of her bodyguard-- where she would not be called out on ogling at her. In spite of her best efforts to decline and drive away the bodyguard, Valentina could still definitely appreciate a beautiful face. Certainly this Juliana Valdés was too good to be true if she can fight as good as she looked.  _La_ _Capitana_ had beautiful. bright, entrancing auburn eyes and long lashes. Her hair was pulled back which accented her symmetrical bone structure even more. Her bodyguard was a head-turner. She was indeed telling the truth a while ago-- that the problem with her bodyguard was she was too distracting. Juliana suddenly caught Valentina ogling at her from the rear view mirror. The woman, embarrassed that she was caught looking, turned away quickly.

“You seem to be having trouble keeping your end of the pact, _señorita_ Valentina _._ ” Juliana smiled and slid her aviator sunglasses back on again. “You know... if you keep looking at me like that, you might fall in love with me.” She hurled Valentina's own words back at her. Juliana thought the banter with her new boss was fun, but inside her, she admired her for her for a multitude of reasons even if she had made horrific enemies that she herself would not instigate a war with. She had nothing but mad respect for the woman. Valentina Carvajal was an intelligent, strong and beautiful woman-- although, extremely annoying and annoyingly self-assured. Juliana thought watching over her was the easiest part because she could admit that she was easy on the eye, but the challenge was keeping her safe knowing that the fire within her, being the modern-day revolutionary that she was, would be hard to extinguish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be updating the Juliantina Childhood Sweethearts AU fic in a day or two :) It is just as long as this one. Ooops.


	3. A Game of Cat and Mouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's only Juliana's first unofficial day on the job and she already has her hands full with a car chase and a stubborn, smartass protectee, Valentina, who finds every way possible to annoy, defy (and seduce) her whenever she can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is a perfect song to play whenever they're bantering:  
> https://open.spotify.com/track/43z6scIZU2QcEieMQFAJRG?si=kzuwTg37RXGjCHiUd4JMzg

A half an hour passed since Valentina and Juliana left Torre Carvajal. The car had not moved for more than a kilometer in the busy streets of Polanco. It was the peak hour of the terrible traffic congestion in Mexico City. They were caught in a bad intersection where the traffic flow was at a complete halt. The excruciating wait reminded Valentina why she did not own a car-- nor did she want to own one and have a private driver taking her around like her siblings had. She would much rather be taking the Metro. Not only did she arrive at her destinations faster, but she thought she was helping the environment by lessening her carbon footprint. Even Juliana said that she was fine with taking the Metro but Eva was very insistent that someone drive for them since they were packing up her things to live with Valentina for the time being. Everyone was restless and just wanted to be home already.

In her agitation, Juliana was tapping on the car’s window sill as she watched the sun disappear and a full moon took up its place, gradually rising up from the horizon. The sound of Juliana’s fingernails repeatedly hitting the carbon fiber interiors of the car irritated Valentina. The simultaneous sounds of _tick_ and _tack_ rang through her ears and made her clench her teeth. Being stuck in motionless traffic was one thing, but being stuck in it with someone who was getting on her nerves at a first meeting was something she could not fathom. Valentina continued the little game she had started with _La Capitana._ She planned to annoy the ex-soldier back by playing some Britney Spears on the radio. She thought that Britney would absolutely not be Juliana’s cup of tea if she had this badass vibe about her. She surmised that Juliana was that type of person who only listened to headbanging angry rock music and nothing else-- those type of obnoxious people who would take offense at the slightest sound of hearing pop music. Valentina switched off the AM radio news and connected her phone to the car’s bluetooth. She put Britney’s Greatest Hits album on shuffle. As the first Britney song played, Juliana stopped fidgeting which made Valentina exhale a sigh of relief. The ex-soldier rested her hands on her lap, looked straight ahead and removed her aviator sunglasses. Being a journalist, Valentina’s observation skills were supposedly on point. She searched for any trace of annoyance on Juliana’s face, but the woman had her poker face on. Perhaps it was her military training that deterred her from displaying any immediate emotions. Valentina felt slightly victorious that she had stopped Juliana’s bothersome habit. However by the second song, the journalist was proven wrong. She swore she saw Juliana grooving her shoulders to the beat of "Toxic" and faintly heard her singing the high-pitched chorus. Her attempt to annoy Juliana was a fail when the tough woman even sang to the Britney’s more emotional songs like Sometimes, Lucky, and Born to Make You Happy. Valentina did not know whether to be angry because her ploy to aggravate the ex-soldier was a fluke or to laugh at the fact that badass ex-captain of the army Juliana knew every lyric to Britney's songs.    

Although Juliana entertained herself by jamming to Britney’s songs, she was still attentive to her surroundings. In fact, she had been studying a suspicious black van that was on their tail ever since they left Torre Carvajal. Whenever she had a bad feeling about things, there was a high likelihood that she was right. This made her trust her intuitions very often-- and right at that moment, something about the van felt awfully wrong. When traffic finally moved, although ever so slowly, Juliana provided a route of “detours” to their driver to get them faster to their destination.

“Take a right here.” She directed Alirio to take a semi-deserted dark alley.

“But we'll be taking the long route, _capitana_. We’ll be going the opposite way from Narvarte.” They were supposed to be picking up her belongings from Sergio’s apartment in Narvarte but she wanted to figure out if her hunch about the vehicle following them was right. She was not willing to risk someone spying on them and discovering Valentina had a bodyguard. Juliana thought that the best plan to safeguard Valentina was to remain covert as possible, to blend in with the crowd instead of sticking out like a sore thumb so she was able to gauge who of the people were imminent threats to Valentina. 

“Slow down a bit,” Juliana asked Alirio. She glared at the side mirrors to observe if the vehicle would follow suit, and it did. The black van slowed down too, keeping a safe distance from their vehicle to theirs. Alirio turned on the blinker and took a left on a busy intersection, the vehicle behind them followed. It was becoming more apparent to Juliana that they were being pursued.

“I have to ask you not to use your blinker for now.”

“What is wrong with you?" Valentina interrupted, clearly not happy with Juliana interfering with the driver's task. "Why are you telling Alirio how to drive? You’re my bodyguard, not Alirio’s driving teacher."

Juliana kept mum. The bodyguard did not want to alarm Valentina into a state of panic that was why she did not inform her of what she thought was happening. It was her first unofficial night in the job after fall.

"See the black van behind us?" The bodyguard whispered to the driver. He quickly glanced at the side mirror. "They're following us. So I need you to listen and follow everything I say." The driver nodded and appeared nervous all of a sudden as he gripped the steering wheel tighter.

Juliana took a quick glance at the side mirror once more. She squinted her eyes at the blinding headlights of the vehicle tailing them. It occurred to her that they may not only be spied on, but there was a possibility that they might be ambushed that night. She thought it was such a convenient time for these idiots to strike because she did not have her gun if a fight were to erupt. She had to think of a plan and she had to think fast. Her heart began beating rapidly when they halted on a red light and the vehicle behind them pulled to their side. Through the tinted glass, she observed the vehicle carefully, weary about men that would bust out of the car and seize them.

“Are the car doors locked?” Juliana asked and double checked for herself. It was a tense wait for the traffic lights to turn green. She asked Alirio to go fast, go beyond the city’s speed limit, when the lights turned green. However, the car also rapidly ran through the roads, trying to match their speed but Alirio was able to pull ahead. Juliana jotted down the plate number of the car as soon as it came on plain sight in her side mirror. They were reaching another intersection and she thought if the stop lights switch to red, it was their chance to pull even further and lose them.

“Whatever you do, do not stop. Do not stop even when that light turns yellow.” Juliana instructed Alirio. She was on the edge of her seat. When they sped up, the black van also sped up.

Meanwhile in the backseat, Valentina was thinking that this was Juliana's tactic to further rile her up, to incite her disdain even more for this annoying know-it-all bodyguard that befell her all of a sudden.

“Floor it now!” Juliana commanded. The stop light switched to red as soon as they crossed the intersection. The black van was hampered by the red light and was not able to move. Juliana let out a cheer. She kept looking at the side mirror, checking if the vehicle was still tailing them. She heaved a sigh of relief when it was not in sight anymore.

“Good job!” Juliana gave Alirio a high five as he too was sweating profusely from the tense atmosphere that the ex-soldier created.

“What on earth were you thinking, Valdés? You could have gotten us killed with your stupid driving instructions!” Valentina was furious. “Do you know how many traffic violations we committed?”

“I had a bad feeling that we were being followed right when we left Torre Carvajal.” Juliana finally admitted but her protectee was having none of it.

"So where is it now?"

"We obviously lost them that's why Alirio and I cheered on." A smile was plastered on the ex-soldier's face, proud of her first victory as Valentina's bodyguard. However, the journalist thought otherwise.

“It’s your first day on the job and you pull something stupid and ridiculous like this? You’re unbelievable! If their assassinations won't kill me, perhaps your orders for reckless driving will."

Juliana felt embarrassed that Valentina did not trust her or her instincts. She did not want to raise hell by insisting she was correct. Valentina was the type of person who would not back down in an argument. The woman was evidently stubborn and quick with her retorts. Although Valentina had good observation skills, Juliana's was better and it came with the years of training in the military that she had. The bodyguard wanted to counter by saying: _this is the reason you almost died at the bombing._ But she kept her lips sealed. Instead of sparking an argument, Juliana pandered to pestering her with some smug talk.

“You know what would have been nice?” the ex-soldier prodded.

 _A ‘Thank You’ would have been nice_ , Juliana thought, but she wanted to tease Valentina even with the woman’s eyebrows scrunched together in fury. The angry woman in the backseat knew her bodyguard was asking for her gratefulness but she did not want to give it. What was there to be thankful for? Having her almost killed with reckless driving? _No, thank you_ , she spoke inside her mind.

“It would have been nice if you turned the volume up for Toxic when the guys were chasing us. You know? Like those wild car chases in the movies? That would have been a great soundtrack.”

Juliana prompted Alirio for another high-five which the man jubilantly gave. The woman in the backseat folded her arms across her chest in more consternation. She would give this round to the _capitana_. But she too has tricks up her sleeve.  

After taking Juliana's belongings in Narvarte, Valentina asked Alirio to drop them off in front of a 24-hour convenience store in Colonia Juárez.  Juliana thought Valentina was just going to buy something in the store because her sister Eva had clearly said that Valentina's apartment was in Roma Norte, another neighborhood nearby.

They were obviously not in Roma Norte.

The journalist gave the driver some money for "dinner"-- but it was actually to bribe him not to tell her siblings about where he dropped them off. Juliana gathered her things in the trunk with hesitation. The two walked for a few blocks without talking. Silence enveloped the neighborhood with only distant footsteps coming from the other side of the road. The quaint boutique shops that vibrantly lined up the streets at day time were now all closed. Valentina bought some tacos for her and her bodyguard from a street vendor that they passed by realizing that both of them have not had dinner yet. It was almost ten in the evening and both of them were exhausted for the day. They walked further to a street which had dilapidated, abandoned mansions with beautiful French architecture. It unnerved Juliana where the activist was taking her. There were no people walking in the neighborhood anymore, and obviously no one living in the once-opulent structures.

"This looks shady. Are you going to murder me in a haunted house? Because if you are, you have a headstart." Juliana broke the silence and voiced out her inner thoughts but Valentina did not speak. She brought out a key to open the rusted art deco gates of one of the mansions. Above the gates read "Villa Pineda." The chains jangled and the gates screeched as she opened it and the sound made the hairs on Juliana's skin stand up.

"Are you coming or not?" Valentina spoke under her breath, as if she were afraid that someone could hear her.

The bodyguard would have never imagined Valentina Carvajal as a serial killer-- but if she was, she was glad that she finally had her gun with her. She stood on high alert as she followed the woman in the decayed Spanish garden by the entrance. Their footsteps seemed to echo throughout the space. Juliana avoided looking into the doors and broken windows because she might see something from the other dimension she ought not to see. She gripped her belongings rigidly. It would have been pitch-dark if it were not for the full moon illuminating their path.

"Afraid of ghosts, _capitana?"_ The journalist was trying to unnerve her companion but she was unshaken.

They reached the backyard and there stood a small rundown backhouse with the same beautiful yet decaying architecture as the ones in the neighborhood. The windows with broken glass were all boarded shut. Valentina walked to the back and pushed the heavy steel door. Juliana was expecting to see an empty space when they entered with perhaps torture devices. The area seemed very perfect for that kind of scenario. When the owner of the space turned on the lights, it revealed a stunning fully-furnished living space. It was a pleasant surprise and Juliana finally heaved a sigh of relief.

Valentina did not live in an apartment in Roma Norte as she made her siblings believe-- or even Juliana. She secretly lived in a backhouse of an old abandoned mansion in Colonia Juárez. No one would have guessed that such a space could exist just by looking at the facade of the structure. Juliana set her belongings by the living space and followed Valentina to the kitchen. She prepared two plates on the table and set the tacos for each of them.

" _Vino o agua?"_ Valentina asked as if walking into an abandoned mansion and living in this impressive secret backhouse was something ordinary to other people too.

"Any would do." The ex-soldier pulled up a restored wrought iron chair.

Valentina brought out a half-finished bottle of pinot noir from the refrigerator and poured out one for her and for her bodyguard. Juliana would have joked with her protectee that they seemed like they were on their first date but the women ate their late-dinner in silence, both obviously too hungry and exhausted to begin their banter once more. While they ate, Juliana studied the space. She could not believe that something like it could exist. It was Valentina's bunker made to look like a decrepit structure from the outside but a space that was meant to be featured in those interior design magazines in the inside. It had high ceilings with part of the roof in glass allowing natural lighting to come in during the daytime since the windows were all boarded up. A refurbished art deco chandelier hung in the ceiling that reflected beautifully in the wood parquet flooring. The original structure was reinforced with brick walls. There were no divisions between the living space, the modest office space, the kitchen and the small dining area. Above the office space was Valentina's supposed "bedroom." A small wooden staircase led up to it. No walls obstructed it from view. The owner of the space knew her bodyguard was pretty amazed and let her take in the view. She was proud of her little bunker. She knew Juliana was not anticipating something like it.

Juliana volunteered to do the dishes because Valentina's other arm was still on a cast and sling. The blue-eyed woman sat atop the kitchen counter still swirling the glass of wine in her hand while watching Juliana.    

"So what was all that talk about you living in an apartment? This is clearly not an apartment." Juliana asked with soap in her hands.

"The one in Roma Norte is a decoy, to ensnare people who are after me. Everyone thinks I live there. Eva pays for it but she doesn't know that I don't live there." Valentina takes a sip from her glass.  "I don't want anyone to know where I live to be avoid getting traced. This spot right here does not receive communication signals. You can check your phone later."

"Why here in Juárez? Isn't this technically trespassing? Someone probably owns this estate." Juliana asked as she dried off her hands after finishing the dishes.

"Our family does. We own it." The alcohol was probably bringing Valentina's guard down. She was willing to answer Juliana's questions seriously instead of brushing them off or making snarky retorts. "Ready for a short history lesson? During the 1800's, my maternal great-great grandfather-- who was not really that great because he was part of the elite that made the gap between the rich and the poor wider during the industrial revolution of the country, well he built this estate."

Juliana took her glass of wine and leaned on the kitchen counter to listen to the activist's story. Valentina's comment on her own family made her smirk. Her liberal and 'leftist' critiques did not escape her own ancestry.

"I saw some photos of the main mansion we passed by, and it looked magnificent in its heydays. My clan moved to Polanco in the 1900's during the Civil War, abandoning this all together. Did you see the name 'Pineda' by the entrance? That's my mother's maiden surname. I found out about this property when I was a snoopy teenager, searching for documents about my family's ancestry because I got interested in genealogy."

"A snoopy teenager, I see. You had the right stuff to become a journalist right from the beginning." The ex-soldier laughed. "Don't get me wrong. I think you're brilliant at it."

"You don't win points at kissing my ass, Valdés." Valentina chuckled. Juliana knew she was flattered and was covering it up through her quips. "So anyway," the journalist continued, "after I brought the NarcoPol Papers to light last year, I was constantly in hiding after the police surged our house multiple times without a warrant. Eva and Guille were innocent and had nothing to do with my exposé. I felt an extreme guilt for bringing them in to the mess that I made so I decided to move out from the house."

"I lived in the apartment in Roma for a while and the unwarranted searches stopped for a bit thanks to the security of the nearby apartment building. But then I kept receiving death threats everyday. I ate them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner." Valentina guzzled up her glass of wine and poured herself some more. Remembering that tumultuous time in her life traumatized her. "But then I remembered that our family used to own this place. I hired a couple of people abroad, some contractors from Costa Rica to furnish the whole place. I can't risk having someone from here do it. You can get any information from anyone and anything you want done with bribes."

Juliana agreed. She was a witness to blackmail and bribery even when she was still in the military-- the corrupt generals of the army offered her to be a part of the La Muerte Cartel's private army because it paid a great deal. She would not have been a pawn, a sacrificial lamb to the wars of the cartel. She would be a high-ranked officer. She would have a share at the multi-million money laundering schemes of the criminal group without having to risk her life greatly. But agreeing to that kind of life meant that she would be forgetting the main reason why she joined the military: to avenge her father's death. Her anger for the narcos became greater ever since then. She was grateful that Valentina shared that piece of her family's fascinating history with her. Some people were lucky enough to have places-- palaces to stay in. While she on the other hand, had trouble having a place to stay in when she was out of the military. For most of her life, the barracks were what she called home. For the last couple of weeks, she knew exactly what Valentina felt in having to find a place where one's mind settled and did not have to worry too much. They had a couple of things in common after all. However, she thought that Valentina's tendency to keep secrets was a cause for concern. No one knew this was where she usually was. If she were abducted in this place and someone had to do an investigation, no one would know where to begin. The case would go cold.

"How do you have electricity here when the rest of the houses here have been abandoned and have not been powered up for decades?"

"Solar panels in the rooftops." Valentina pointed up. "I have a back-up generator just in case."

"Smart. You've thought about this very well, didn't you?" The bodyguard remarked. The precautionary measures that the activist did were very impressive.

"That's why a bodyguard isn't that necessary. I can get things done on my own." Valentina cocked an eyebrow. Juliana believed Valentina, but hearing that was kind of like a kick to the back of her head. She did not want to take offense, but it seemed to be true with the lengths that she had gone to protect herself. It did seem that she was not needed. The woman knew what was best for her and had survived countless times. However, the adventurous spirit within Juliana wanted to see this through with Valentina. She believed in what the bravery of Valentina could take her through.

“Enough with the questions and let’s set some ground rules here." The tone in Valentina's voice changed rapidly. "You are not allowed to play that thing,” she pointed to Juliana’s guitar, “when I am around you.”

“But I have to always be around you.”

"It's only your first day and you're already attached? That's cute." Valentina smiled smugly. She jumped down from the counter and moved to sit on the couch. Juliana followed behind and surmised Valentina was back to a bantering spirit.

“Second: you have to label your food in the refrigerator. Any food without a label is considered to be shared. And lastly, I have only one bathroom here so you are not allowed to take showers for more than ten minutes."

“None of that would be a problem for me. But if you have house rules? I have mine too.” Juliana folded her arms.

“First rule: you have to learn self-defense.”

“Why do I need to when I have you following me around? You're protecting me, right? I have no time to learn that!"

“Second: this.” Juliana knelt down on the floor to find the device stashed in her attache case filled with her gadgets. She presented Valentina with a maroon jewelry box. Her position made her look like she was proposing to her.

“We haven't been out on a proper date yet, _capitana,_ but look at you trying to put a ring on it!” Valentina joked. She opened the velvet box and found an infinity pendant. There was a small button behind where the loops of the symbol intersected.

“That red gemstone right there is actually button. If you press it, it sends me a distress signal through my own device," Juliana pressed the button and showed her a small mobile gadget vibrating and lighting up to alert her, "Use it when you're feeling threatened or you're in danger. It has a built-in GPS, and it sends me your exact coordinates so I, and only I, can easily locate you with that. Wherever you are in the world.”

Valentina grabbed the gadgets from the bodyguard and tinkered with it.

“Lastly: no secrets.”

“Where's the the fun if we don't have secrets around? Don't you have secrets too, _capitana?_ "

"Ok, try me. What do you want to know?"

"Oh, I'll let you know if there's something I want from you." Valentina winked, still in a playful mood.

"I always need to know where you are, wherever you're going, who you're with, what you're doing..."

"...and who I'm doing it with?" Valentina interrupted.

The sexual innuendo threw Juliana off. She pondered for a moment if it mattered who she did it with.

"I guess so, but I won't worry so much about that if you're getting fucked by the state and the narcos, wouldn't I?"

"Well, this country would be fucked over if we didn't do anything about it, wouldn't it?"

 _Touché,_ Juliana thought. Valentina did have a fair point. The bodyguard was convinced that the woman had been exposing the state's corruption and their connection to the _La Muerte_ Cartel was rooted with more altruistic motives than anything. Why would she be in hiding in a decrepit place? Taking extra precautionary measures if her life was not really on the line. She just could not wrap around her head how someone as brilliant and brave as her could be extremely stubborn and playfully childish.

"Last question for the night: You only have one bedroom here. Where am I sleeping?"

"The abandoned house next door. I think there's still those old canopy beds from the 1800s." Valentina mocked.

Juliana rolled her eyes and made a face. "I'm being serious. Aren't you tired? I need to have some sleep after this long day. We have to start your self-defense training as soon as possible."

"Why doth protest too much? Do you want to sleep beside me? I have a queen-sized bed." Valentina dared. She did not want Juliana sleeping next to her but she knew it would irritate her bodyguard if she kept teasing her that way.

"The couch is fine." Juliana spoke with a resigned tone. There was no stopping the woman from her playful taunts.

Valentina went upstairs to get changed and to grab some pillows and sheets for Juliana. The bodyguard was getting settled in. She got dressed for bed, She placed her bag full of clothes and her guitar near the bookshelves. She kept her attache case containing her weapons and gizmos right beside her in the couch just in case an emergency arose.

Moments later, Valentina appeared at the bottom of the staircase wearing only a lacy barely-there black underwear and a white tank top with her nipples faintly showing. It left little to the imagination. The warm-white light of the room made her bare skin look like it was glowing. On her arms she carried some sheets and a pillow. Juliana stood up and swallowed hard as the woman approached her.

"Are you sure you want to sleep here?" Valentina asked with a sultry voice.

Taken by surprise, Juliana could only nod. She briefly glanced at Valentina but her deep blue eyes pierced right through her as she quickly looked away. The bodyguard felt a bit ashamed that if she held her gaze, the woman might get the wrong impression that she wanted her.

_And she sort of, maybe, kind of, did._

Even if a part of Juliana did want her, she had to keep things professional. Their flirtatious banters were good fun but she did not think that Valentina could take it that far--or if she did mean her seduction schemes. She held her breath as the woman stood beside her, covering the couch with a duvet and fluffing a pillow for her. Valentina gently ran a hand on Juliana's toned arms after she finished setting up the couch. The woman rested her hand on the small of Juliana's back. "That was a one-time offer, _capitana_. You've lost your shot." She whispered to the ex-soldier who was frozen in place. The proximity of the woman's lips, her breath hot on her neck, sent a surge of electricity up and down the bodyguard's spine.

Valentina shut the lights out and sauntered back upstairs feeling victorious about getting the ex-soldier flustered. Juliana was embarrassed to look at her. She could not even get the courage to sneak a tiny glance even though she badly wanted to. She propped the pillow on her head to lie on and tucked herself in the fresh-smelling blanket. Her gaze was up in the skylight ceiling. A full moon hung over the night sky and she thought it might have had some influence in the crazy day that she had. Everything about the day felt so heightened and too intense. Her life suddenly changed in a blink of an eye. She was just washing dishes in a cantinathis morning. Now she was someone's bodyguard, someone's life could be at stake with one tiny mistake that she could commit. When Sergio recommended her to the recruiter, she was only thinking of protecting an individual of high status-- not someone who had the whole weight of the world on their shoulders, not someone who was in a "me against the world" predicament. And she guessed it now changed to an "us against the world" predicament with her in the picture but only-- if only, Valentina was not too stubborn and not too precarious to open up and allow her to fight alongside her in the dangerous world she was in. 


	4. One-Woman Army, One-Woman Riot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valentina and Juliana try to get used to living together but they still can't seem to see eye to eye with their constant bantering. Juliana asks Valentina to train for self-defense but declines. Valentina instigates a protest for the fallen members of the Soldaderas but creates a riot that puts her life in danger instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm calling this the sexy show-off showdown chapter.
> 
> Car ride song: https://open.spotify.com/track/4LujiMvi8iYLZKNT4YlmZo?si=j0s2-1VyRx6XcnkvBELjng
> 
> But...
> 
> WARNING!  
> This chapter contains scenes with physical violence, blood and trauma that might trigger some of you. So just a heads up, friends!
> 
> Your warning sign will be the paragraph break after the part with the protest.

Under the full moon brightly sneaking in the skylight ceilings, Juliana’s thoughts would not let her find rest just yet. Drained from the long day, the bodyguard just wanted to fall into a deep slumber. However, a hundred emotions and hundred more thoughts kept her up. She tossed and turned in the couch, knowing tomorrow would be another long day. The Carvajals were going to send her part of her agreed salary. It was a huge amount of money that she had never held in all of her life. They seemed to trust her very much in their willingness to hand her the money upfront when she just signed her contract that day. She felt a tiny bit of pressure from it; that they held such great expectations from the immense responsibility thrusted upon her, that they were willingly confiding the very life of their youngest sister in her hands-- a stranger who just happened to fit the person they needed for her and had willingly committed to protecting her with her own life. She did not want to let them down. Her thoughts wandered with how she could use the money. First, she planned to buy better equipment-- guns, bulletproof vests, and spy gizmos that might come in handy in the future. She would also set up a tiny gym somewhere in the abandoned mansion next door so she can train Valentina for self-defense-- even though the activist was quite apprehensive about it. She also thought it would be beneficial to install a surveillance network around the estate, securing the perimeter just in case someone found out about this hideout that Valentina had brilliantly thought of and constructed. It would not hurt to be a little extra vigilant knowing how critical the activist’s circumstance was. Lastly, Juliana imagined buying a motorcycle as a gift for herself. She had always wanted a Honda CB Cafe Racer ever since her late teens. Back in the barracks she would borrow another soldier’s motorcycle for joyrides outside their base. Lucky for her, she saw a restored sleek black CB 550 with brown leather upholstery when she was roaming the streets, job hunting a few weeks ago. It exactly fitted her budget. She would finally fulfill one of her dreams. In her mind’s eye, she could already feel the cold breeze brushing through her cheeks; she could hear the viciously cool sound of the motor revving as she sped up, invigorating her spirit with unending freedom in the wide open roads where the earth met the sky. All of that would be hers-- but only, only if she would be able to keep herself alive for the duration of her contract.

Lost in her thoughts, she was jolted when the tracking device that she had given Valentina was suddenly alerting her. After the car chase, she was not surprised that there was something that threatened their security that night. She grabbed her gun-- loaded and cocked it then stealthily ran to Valentina’s bedroom. She ducked her head just before the upper landing of the staircase, careful not to alarm the possible intruder of her presence. She took a slight peek and jumped out to surprise the intruder.

However, there was neither an intruder nor any impending peril that awaited her.

With a warm light illuminating the space, she found Valentina in bed cozily reading a book and waving an empty glass before her.

“Can you fetch me a glass of water please? I’m feeling parched.” The journalist adjusted her reading glasses to look up at her bodyguard.

Juliana defeatedly dropped her gun and put a palm on her face. She sighed audibly in disappointment. “I specifically said that device is for emergency uses only!”

“But this is an emergency.” Valentina shut her book close. “Did you know that dehydration can be a cause of death? A person can survive 3 weeks without food. But without water, a person can only survive for 4 days. You should know this if you were in survival training, _capitana_.” The journalist got a knack from seeing her bodyguard annoyed.

“May I remind you that your siblings hired you a bodyguard, and NOT a personal assistant.” Juliana was still polite in spite of her protectee’s childish ways. She already had a lot on her plate but Valentina was still more than willing to play games. To her, having a bodyguard still seemed to be a joke. The ex-soldier stomped down the staircase and went back to the couch to try get some sleep. She had survival training, but apparently, her training did not prepare her for living with an unbearable activist, the one-woman riot that was Valentina Carvajal.

Moments later, Juliana finally fell into a deep slumber. Valentina sauntered down the stairs and turned on all the lights in the space. Juliana was awakened with the commotion she could hear from the kitchen. She adjusted her eyes to the brightly lit room. When she sat up, she saw the half-naked Valentina. The woman was getting herself a glass of water. She sat on the kitchen counter, still in her form-fitting tank top and lacy underwear, with legs crossed and downing the glass of water in one go.

Valentina noticed the woman by the living room watching her with eyes wide open and mouth slightly agape. Even as she was half-conscious, Juliana felt that the woman was seducing her. The activist was sexy and she damn right knew it.

“I guess I'm not the only one who's thirsty huh, _capitana_?” She licked her lips and shot Juliana a wink.

“Why do you need to turn on all the lights and make a ruckus just to grab a glass of water?”

Valentina did not answer. Instead, she opened the refrigerator door and bent down to get something on the bottom shelf. Juliana looked away upon seeing Valentina’s bare bottom, afraid that she would be caught ogling again and would be heckled for it. The lacy underwear could barely hide anything from the woman’s waist down. Valentina emerged and took a hefty bite of a Carlos V chocolate bar. It was from Juliana’s stash of sweets.

“Excuse me? That’s not yours!” Juliana sharply called out.

“I don’t see your name on it... or my name on it. That’s odd? But it’s so nice of you to share, Valdés!” Valentina smiled with chocolate stuck in between her front teeth. Juliana groaned and rolled her eyes.

"What's the matter? Are you going to watch me eat? Afraid the carbs and sugar are going to attack me?"

"The lights are turned on. I can't sleep with the lights on." The bodyguard complained.

"Awww... baby can't sleep with the lights on?" Valentina baby-talked as she sat atop the couch, her flawless legs on the eye-level of her bodyguard. "Or maybe baby wants a good night kiss too?"

Juliana inhaled deeply, her face obviously distraught with Valentina’s tongue-in-cheek character. The exhaustion and sleeplessness was affecting her mood but she knew she would not win in this tiny game if she threw a tantrum. Valentina would aggravate her even more because she found it so entertaining. The bodyguard turned to face the seductive woman, meeting her gaze as she spoke, "It's only our first night, _Señorita_ Carvajal. You're already calling me baby AND you want to give me a good night kiss?" She rested her head on her forearms without breaking eye contact. A smug smile began to line her lips.

_¿Que rápida me saliste eh?"_

 

* * *

 

Days after Valentina’s cast and sling were removed, the doctor cleared her for physical activities. In fact, it was encouraged for her to engage in exercise to strengthen her limbs and bring back better mobility to her arms. The activist usually did yoga on her own to meditate and relax herself-- but she dreaded activities that made her break into an intense sweat session. She would not survive sprinting a few kilometers. She would tap out half way. Taking advantage of the doctor's orders, Juliana thought it was the perfect time for Valentina to finally learn some self-defense tactics.

“Time to train, sleepyhead!” Juliana shook Valentina’s shoulder.

Valentina reached for her phone half-consciously to check what time it was. “It’s 4 in the morning, Valdés. Go back to bed.”

“You said you don’t have time to train. I’m waking you up so you can make some time for it.” The bodyguard urged, still shaking the activist’s shoulder now even more vigorously.

“My arm is still painful. I can’t throw a punch.” The woman shut her eyes again and waved her bodyguard off. Her voice was heavy with sleep.

“I was with you when you went to your doctor’s check up and they removed your cast. She said you need to exercise.”

“But I need sleep even more.” Valentina cocooned herself inside her blanket like a child.

“You’re going to thank me for training you someday.”

“Thanks, but no thanks, sweetheart.” The activist peeped a bit and went back inside her cocoon.

The bodyguard taking none of Valentina's excuses swiftly pulled the blanket off of the bed. She forgot that the woman slept in her underwear, shocking both of them. Juliana threw back the blanket to the bed.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry.” Her face was flushed in embarrassment.

“If you wanted to get in bed with me, you should have just asked,” Valentina's voice, heavy with sleep, made it sound sexier. She tapped on the unoccupied space of her bed, as if to tempt the ex-soldier to lay beside her. "Offer still stands, _capitana_."

Juliana cleared her throat, looked away and stepped away. “I’ll be in the dining room in the mansion if you change your mind.” She hurriedly left, fleeing the scene extremely flustered.

Valentina decided to get up from bed at around 6. Before she went to check on the shenanigans that her bodyguard was up to, she prepared some fresh brewed coffee for herself. Valentina sneakily entered the abandoned mansion, peeping in the sidelines, not wanting her presence to be recognized. From one of the broken windows, she got a glimpse of Juliana doing push-ups and crunches. The woman was fully drenched in sweat in her hoodie and shorts. Juliana removed her earphones and unzipped her hoodie which exposed her washboard abs. Valentina almost choked on her cup of coffee seeing how incredible her bodyguard's physique was. Juliana was every definition of "fit."

Without looking at Valentina's direction, Juliana spoke, “So you like to watch me train but you don’t want to train with me, huh?”

The activist came out of the shadows and sauntered in the room. She was now wearing a light blue silk robe to cover herself up. “I’m just making sure my bodyguard is fit enough to protect me.”

Juliana snorted. She took a few gulps of water and put on her boxing gloves. She began to throw combination punches on the heavy bag while doing fast footwork. Whenever she punched, the muscular sculpt on her body showed. Valentina was unabashedly staring at her bodyguard. She could not help it. Her bodyguard's body seemed to be sculpted perfectly by the deities. She was not lean or too buff. Her body was exquisitely defined-- her legs, her arms, her back, her clavicle, her jawline. It was a feast for Valentina's eyes. She did not know if she was perspiring due to the temperature of the coffee that she was sipping a little too quickly or just because she was inappropriately fantasizing about Juliana. 

“ _Ponte encima mio y vuélveme loca,_ ” The activist muttered under her breath.

“Did you say something?” Juliana briefly stopped punching the heavy bag.

“I said, we’re leaving in the afternoon. I have a meeting.” Valentina cleared her throat, relieved that her bodyguard did not hear her talking dirty.

“With the _Soldaderas?”_ The bodyguard asked, resuming to throw jabs and hooks.

“No. With _Mujeres en Resistencia."_

 _Mujeres en Resistencia_ was a protest group that Valentina and a few other student activists formed back when she was still in university. Most of them now worked in NGOs, in universities, and even in the government. The _Soldaderas_ was a different group that Valentina founded. Some hacktivists reached out to her upon seeing her other controversial documentaries on the missing officers of the "special drug task force" that was created in the beginning of Servando Armenta's assent to the presidency. She had theorized that Armenta created the drug task force as a front to his illegal drug dealings-- to make people believe that he was actually doing something to eradicate the drug problem of the country, when in fact, he was a drug lord himself.

“You’re holding a protest just a few weeks after someone plotted an assassination on you? Are you out of your mind?” The bodyguard paused from doing her workout.

“It's the women's march and I’m asking justice for the _Soldaderas_ , for my _compañeras_ who got killed in the bombing.”

“You have people's attention already! You want to bring more of it? That's exactly what I don't want you to do.” Juliana threw her boxing gloves to the floor and chugged her bottle of water. She removed her hoodie and used it to wipe her sweat. Valentina was unnerved with Juliana telling her what to do and what not to do-- but her bodyguard was getting more naked by the second. She did not know whether she had to look at her bodyguard in the eye or fixate on her well-toned arms.

“Why do I have to listen to anything you say, anyway?" The activist folded her arms.

“Because I know what’s good for you!”

The bodyguard's self-righteousness made her snort. “Then what’s good for me? Hiding? Not doing my job?” Valentina set her coffee on a rusty old table beside her. She stepped forward to challenge the bodyguard.

“Can you listen to me for once? You have to let the heat on you die down first. The more you rile up your enemies. The more they will come for you.” She knew that her assassins still had their eyes out for her. 

“Then let them. They will come either way. I have you to protect me, right?” The activist cocked an eyebrow.

“There’s no winning with you, Valentina!” The bodyguard began unraveling her hand wraps and threw them on the floor as well. “You are impossible to be with, you know that?” Juliana unconsciously invaded her space in anger. Valentina bit her lip and looked down at Juliana’s abs. Her eyes were giving her away. She could not resist admiring her bodyguard's physique.

“I would like to have some distance from all this sweat and disgusting smell. Please and thank you.” Valentina stepped back, getting a whiff of Juliana's sweat and cologne which she secretly liked.

“Oh really? How close would you like me to be?” Juliana closed the gap between her and Valentina as she shook off her hair free from a ponytail. Valentina was cornered to the table where she set her cup of coffee. The minute space between her mouth and Juliana's made her swallow hard and hold her breath.

"I..." Valentina stuttered. "I'm..." She accidentally knocked the cup of coffee off of the table, breaking the mug and spilling the coffee on the floor. It startled the both of them. The activist did not know whether to be thankful to be out of the tensed predicament or if she wanted to know where the teasing would further take them.

 

* * *

 

The protest was held on a gloomy Friday afternoon.  It worried Juliana that she had no control nor influence on the person she was protecting. Valentina even declined wearing a bulletproof vest which caused a whole other argument between the two of them before they left for the demonstration. The activist did as she pleased without heeding the precautions of her bodyguard. However, Valentina wore the pendant that Juliana gave her. She wore it around her neck because she thought it was pretty, like some kind of fashion accessory. Juliana knew that she did not have the full capacity to safeguard Valentina in such a huge gathering so she had to pull some strings for extra security for the stubborn spitfire of an activist. Juliana contacted one of the few people he trusted in the Federal Police, _Inspector Jefe_ Francisco Panchito. Juliana had saved his life in one of the drug operations when the police and military joined forces. The two comrades go way back when Juliana was just a sergeant in the army and Panchito was a sub-officer. Juliana saved Panchito when he almost bled out to death in a shootout with a cartel in Tijuana. He was stationed there then. As a sniper, she shot their enemies and carried him to safety when she thought the coast was clear. She even donated blood to him. When he rose up the ranks, he was moved to Mexico City. So when Juliana asked her for this favor of having extra eyes on Valentina, he immediately said yes without any hesitations and doubts. He even brought along some of his men.

The women marching were clad in all-black attires with streaks of red painted on their faces. Most of them were wearing colorful feather headdresses and holding placards calling out the patriarchy, the government, and the injustices that they have been committing. The bodyguard, trying to blend in, wore the same attire as the protesters did. A throng of approximately 250 women rallied to the streets of Mexico City. Valentina was, yet again, in the front lines of the protest. Having Valentina front and center (and the loudest) of the protesters was like having a huge bull’s eye on a target-- one would not miss her if someone were to make a hit. With a tight fist up in the air and chanting, she was holding the banner of  _Mujeres en Resistencia_ with three other women. They marched up towards the National Palace and set up a small stage and a platform with a podium there. Juliana was quite impressed with how Valentina could still rally up a multitude of people even with a bounty on her head. She wondered if the people around her were afraid that they too would be pursued by her enemies-- and her enemies were no joke. They were the two of the most powerful factions in the country.

A group of women sang and danced for a couple of minutes to officially commence the program of their demonstration. When Valentina finally took to the podium with a megaphone, the crowd erupted to applauding and cheering for her. They were chanting _iGuerrera!_ to recognize her efforts in confronting the government. Juliana surveyed the area with her binoculars, weary of snipers and of individuals who would potentially harm the activist. She radioed Panchito to check if everything was clear from his vantage point. He said that he was suspicious of a certain group that was on the outskirts of the crowd. They seemed to be out of place as they were not as enthusiastic to all the spirit and fanfare of the crowd. They were composed of two men and three women.

> _¡Ni las mujeres ni la tierra somos territorio de conquista!_
> 
> _¡Yo soy mía tu eres tuyo y el amor es de los dos!_
> 
> _¡Justicia para nuestros compañeras, para Soldaderas!  
>  _

The activist shouted and the rest of the women in the crowd repeated her words and cheered. Panchito radioed Juliana and told her that two of his men were on their way to the location of the suspicious group. He checked on the group once more through his binoculars but they were gone. He held his breath and told the bodyguard that they had a huge problem. 

 

***

* * *

***

 

One of the incendiaries fired a gun three times which incited great panic to the horde.  The supposed peaceful protest turned dangerous when people frantically running around and screaming, scrambled to safety from the gunshots they had heard. Upon hearing the gunshots, Juliana ran to the stage but could not find Valentina anywhere. Her heart was pounding thinking that someone might have shot the activist. Worse, she stubbornly even refused to wear a bulletproof vest that day. In the stampede, Juliana lost sight of Valentina. She beeped Panchito to prepare for getaway once she found Valentina. They agreed upon an extraction point.

The other main members of  _Mujeres en Resistencia_ were calling for Valentina to take cover under the stage with them but the activist tripped while she was running. It was difficult for her to get up because people were running furiously, not noticing what they were bumping into or who they were running into. It did not matter just as long as they could save themselves. Valentina finally put the pendant to good use. She pressed the button repeatedly and hoped Juliana would come for her. But suddenly, a burly man carried Valentina off. The man dragged her in a secluded alley. She tried to fight back but she was helpless. The man struck her on the head when she tried to get away from his hold. A gush of warm blood ran through the top of her eyebrow down to her cheek. In a matter of seconds, Juliana finally appeared. She picked up a metal tube lying on the side of the alley and knocked the man on the back of his head as hard as she can. The man was disoriented and started to bleed. He lost his balance and threw Valentina to the ground. Juliana put the man in a chokehold. Her opponent tried to counter but she carried him and slammed him down. Valentina could not believe that Juliana had the strength to hoist a man up twice her size. The strong woman pinned the man to the ground, disabling him from moving. She pointed a gun to his head. “It’s your lucky day. I would have pulled the trigger but not today, _puto_.”

“Toss me that rope.” Juliana directed to Valentina who was helplessly lying on the ground.

Juliana tied the man’s arms and feet so he could not get up. She pushed his head down to the ground so he could not see her face. It was part of her tactic not to let Valentina's enemies know that she had someone protecting her. If they knew who she was, they would come for her too. The bodyguard swooped Valentina up, carrying her in her arms as she ran to the side alleys, away from the upheaval where civilians were fighting and at the same time stampeding to safety.

“We left the other girls there.” Valentina spoke.

“I don’t care about the others. I don't care about the  _Mujeres en_ whatever or the  _Soldaderas_. You're my priority. You're the one I have to protect.”

The captain's words did not sit right with Valentina.

“Let me down! I have to go back for them!”

“Not with those sustained injuries you're not.” Juliana ran even faster and held the woman in her arms tighter.

A car was waiting in the extraction point that she and Panchito agreed upon. He was waving to them. In one swift movement, Juliana brought Valentina inside the car and shut the door. The police officer floored it, and the car sped through the avenue. Valentina's heart was racing, and she thought her heart was going to beat out of her chest. She observed Juliana's face, still calm and collected, directing the driver of the car to the fastest route back to Juárez and to avoid possible checkpoints. Juliana removed her shirt and used it to stop the bleeding on Valentina’s head. The activist did not know whether she was light-headed from the endless trickling of blood from her head or the fact that she was being held by her half-naked bodyguard. The man behind the wheel tossed his jacket to Juliana to cover herself up.

“ _Señorita_ , this is _Inspector Jefe_ Francisco Panchito. He's one of the few men I trust in the police force.” Juliana told the dizzied Valentina. She tried to talk to her to bring her to consciousness and to let her know that the man they were with was to be trusted.

“It’s an honor to meet you, _señorita_ Carvajal.” Panchito acknowledged the woman.  Valentina was still visibly shaken and the man noticed it.  “Don’t worry. You're in good hands, _señorita_. _Capitana_ Juliana is my personal hero. She saved my life many times.”

The activist wondered how many lives Juliana saved before-- and how many lives she would have to waste just to save her time and time again. Her hands were uncontrollably shaking from the blow to the head that she took. Juliana held her hand and squeezed it to let her know she was with her.

“Lay your head down on my lap.”

“Excuse me? You have the audacity to hit on me during a time of crisis?” Valentina angrily whispered to Juliana’s ear. She did not want Panchito to hear her.

“We have to elevate your head to stop the blood from gushing, _burra_.” Juliana countered aggressively towards the activist's misjudgment of her intentions.

Valentina finally did what she was told. She laid her head on Juliana's lap and straightened out her legs. She could see the hands of her bodyguard covered in her blood. Her vision was spinning. She thought it was the end for her.

“How bad is it?” The activist asked with her head throbbing in pain. 

“Not too bad. You’ll live.” Juliana coolly spoke, observing the possible route to take to avoid getting stuck in the traffic.

Valentina noticed her bodyguard still had her hand mindlessly rested on top of hers. “So… how about that self-defense training?” Her voice sounded faint.

Juliana shook her head and had a smug smile lining her lips. She wanted to say _I told you so_  but she knew it was not the right time for jokes given that her protectee thought she was going to die already _._  Juliana was grateful that the activist finally came to her senses-- that she did need to be trained for self-defense. Apparently, there was some ounce of humility in Valentina after all, the bodyguard thought.

The bodyguard swept the activist's tresses away from her face and cupped her cheek. “Right after you heal, _guerrera_." 

Hearing the word _guerrera_  sweetly spoken by her bodyguard made Valentina smile and forget about the pain she was feeling for a bit. She felt safe in the arms of Juliana. The activist did not let go of her hand all throughout the ride back to their hideout in Juárez.


	5. The Night Starts Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juliana tends to Valentina's injuries after the protest gone wrong. The bodyguard uncovers a possible clue to help the activist to prove her case against the government and its connection to the La Muerte Cartel. They have an unplanned film night to unwind from the crazy day they had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Death TW and Dark Humor.  
> No one dies. I just sort of talk about death dramatically and in jest in some parts.
> 
> The hilarious and cute bantering is still in effect ;)

In the hideout back in Colonia Juárez, Juliana tended to Valentina’s cuts and wounds. The activist’s worries about the protest dissipated. The intense concern for the ruckus that occurred in the protest and the safety of her colleagues ultimately turned to herself as she felt her whole body ache in extreme pain. Her adrenaline had worn off, and she had no choice but to suck up the soreness until the painkillers finally kicked in. Valentina was so aware of Juliana’s soft hands on her face, her mouth so close to her own as she studied how severe the head wound was. Valentina held her breath. The activist's feeling of faintness only persisted and intensified. She did not know if it was from her injuries or the close proximity of her bodyguard’s face on her own…

Or if it was from both.

It was nothing too serious, but the ex-soldier was used to seeing these kinds of injuries in the battlefield that was why she decided not to bring the activist in the hospital. She knew how to give immediate treatment to minor injuries, and she was quite weary about the assassins knowing the activist's whereabouts. The bodyguard insisted that she did not need another pair of hands to help her so Panchito patiently sat on a corner of the room, tinkering in awe of Juliana’s new guns and gizmos. He was waiting for further instructions and for the rain to subside before he left. The activist was lying on the couch, her shirt stained with blood. The liquid that Juliana poured on the activist’s open wound stung. Valentina cringed and slapped Juliana’s lap in shock.

“We have a guest. Behave yourself and stop being kinky.” The bodyguard joked which only provoked the activist to slap her lap again.

“Who said I wasn’t?”

The duo were still up for some heckling even at such a dire circumstance. After cleaning up the wound, Juliana applied bandages to Valentina’s head. If she were up for even more jeering, she would have said that the woman looked like an Egyptian mummy with the wound dressing wrapped around her head. She refrained herself from saying it when Valentina was beginning to look like she would doze off any moment on the couch, a side effect of the painkillers that she drank. The bodyguard then carried Valentina in her arms once more and put her to bed. She aided her in removing her bloodied clothes. Valentina was quite conscious of herself around her bodyguard, but Juliana showed no emotion on her face even as she wiped traces of blood and grime on her face and arms with a warm, damp washcloth. Valentina sauntering around her barely-there sleepwear to throw Juliana off was one thing, but having to be this kind of vulnerable (quite intimate, if she had to be honest) around her bodyguard was something else. She could feel Juliana's eyes on her bareness and she held her breath once more. Valentina thought that her heart was beating loud enough to pierce the silence between them, but she was quite thankful that the muffled sound of the rain trickling down on the rooftops outside was reverberating the beat of her heart. She was not quite sure if it was the spell-binding atmosphere of rain at dusk or if it was the combination of pain and drugs in her system that made her want to lean in and give Juliana a peck on the cheek, but she resisted her whim. After propping two pillows to elevate Valentina’s head up, Juliana rested an ice pack to the injured spot on the woman’s head to help relieve the pain and swelling. 

“Valdés?” The activist spoke softly, trying to get a glimpse of her bodyguard’s face in spite of the glaring warm fluorescent light above them.

“Mmhmm?”

“ _Gracias._ ” Valentina rested her hand on her bodyguard’s hand. It was Juliana's turn to hold her breath, not expecting an affectionate gesture from the injured woman.

Juliana had a smug look on her face and responded, “It’s my job. What else could I do?”

The activist knew that her bodyguard was just playing it cool. She was pretty sure that whatever Juliana was doing was not part of her job description. Whatever she was doing was not included in the duties of a bodyguard. She was going out of her way to take care of her, not just protect her. Juliana's actions were giving herself away. She undeniably cared for Valentina-- whether she was willing to verbally admit it or not.

Valentina was expecting a kind response to parallel her own. “You could just say _you’re welcome_ , you know?” 

“Are you going all soft on me now, Carvajal?” The bodyguard quipped as she delicately poked Valentina's cheek with a cold finger.

Valentina assumed that Juliana's words meant that she was developing feelings for her.  _Was she?_ She pondered for a hasty moment before giving a retort to cover up her qualms. “I'm just being genuinely nice. Is that a problem?"

"Just utterly surprised." Juliana gave her her own dose of honesty. After taking off the ice pack on Valentina's forcehead, the bodyguard stood up to stow away the rubbish and the soiled clothes, ready to leave the injured woman to rest but not without throwing more heckling down her way. "You know... I'm thinking you should be injured more often if that's the case. I like it when you're genuinely nice to me."

 _As if you're not being genuinely nice to me too,_ Valentina spoke in her mind, recognizing what the bodyguard had heroically done for her that day. She partly agreed with Juliana's joke-- only because she might have relished in the intimate touch of a person who seemed to genuinely care for her. But of course, in good fashion with her bodyguard, she countered with her own quip, not ready to wave a white flag just yet. "Wouldn't that be a great excuse for you to have your hands all over me again huh,  _capitana?"_

But the bodyguard was just as a smart ass as she was. "And you'd love that, wouldn't you?" Juliana grinned and shot her a wink. 

And perhaps, Valentina probably did.

The ex-soldier disappeared as she descended the staircase before the injured woman can think of a scathing comeback. Instead, she laid her head to rest and mulled over how much of Juliana's words she truly meant, but moreover, she was thinking of why she reveled in Juliana's touch. She surmised that everything was just in her head, but it could not be that bad if she did want it more, did it?

 

* * *

 

It was quarter before six in the afternoon, when Valentina momentarily awoke from her nap. The rain ceased and the air felt much colder. She walked over to get another blanket on the wooden chest from the corner when she noticed Panchito was still downstairs. She could hear him speaking in a hushed voice with Juliana in the living space. She wrapped herself like a burrito with her blanket to peep in and eavesdrop on their conversation.

“I was able to trace it to a guy named Beltrán Camacho.” Panchito handed Juliana a folder while taking a sip of coffee. The bodyguard scanned the documents presented to her. They were the vehicle registration papers of the black van that had followed them a couple of weeks ago. The name of the owner was a man named Beltrán Camacho. Juliana had intel about the La Muerte Cartel and she was certain that there was no high ranking member of that name. The face of the man photographed appeared very peculiar. His hair was dark and slicked back. He had an unkempt overgrown beard, one that seemed to inconveniently cover even his mouth. He peculiarly wore thick-rimmed glasses, as if he was changing something, hiding his identity.

“Do you have any idea who he is?” Juliana asked, flipping through the papers but ultimately coming back to study the photograph even closer.

“No idea.” The man shrugged his shoulders. “His name doesn't ring a bell but his face seems familiar don’t you think? I just can’t seem to bring to mind who he could possibly be.”

Juliana agreed. She could not remember who the man looked like or if she did ever encounter him. She surmised the man was possibly under a disguise. No one would ever have their government photos taken unkempt like that-- even though government issued identifications did make people look awful in their photos.

"Thank you for this, Panchito." 

"Not a problem, _capitana_. If you need something else, just call me." The police officer grabbed his jacket, quickly chugged his cup of coffee and was about to leave.  

"Hold on." Juliana rushed to where her bag was and searched for her wallet. She took a handful of bills from it. “Here.” She gave the wad of money to the police officer.

“Is this police bribery?" Panchito laughed. That’s too much money!”

“Not technically police bribery. It was your day off today and you helped us."

_Us._

Valentina heard the word and raised her eyebrows in amusement. She was still closely listening in.

"Take it.” The bodyguard still insisted, thrusting the money to Panchito's palm.

“That was nothing. It was the least I could do. You saved my life a bunch of times.”

“At least take your men for drinks in a cantina or whatever. The Carvajals pay me way too much.”

Panchito finally accepted it. “You deserve whatever they're paying you for by the way. Protecting someone who the government and the cartel wants to be dead is a tough job. I wouldn’t have taken your job for any money in the world if I had to be frank, Juliana.”

After the protest-gone-wrong that day, Juliana felt like this was just the tip of the iceberg that they were crashing into. Hearing what Panchito had said, Valentina speculated that Juliana might have another motive why she took the job. It was not just out of desperation for money. There must be some other reason.

"You better take good care of yourself. That brave woman there," he pointed to the general direction of where Valentina was resting," she made a lot of difficult, powerful enemies that are now your enemies too. This is more complex than the battlefield, _capitana_. It's a lopsided war, and I pray by the grace of the heavens above, let her win it and keep you alive."

A little bit shaken from Panchito's honesty, the bodyguard nodded and understood what the police officer meant. " _Gracias_ , Panchito. And I will." The ex-soldier shook his hand firmly. She was an indestructible hero that day, but she knew that the days ahead may not go that way. She might run out of luck. Those words were what she need to hear from Panchito to bring her mind back to earth, back to reality when she might drift off to complacency. And being complacent was what was least called for her at that time. She bid farewell to the police officer and breathed out in melancholy as she closed the front door.

After witnessing the exchange between the police officer and the ex-soldier, Valentina retreated to her bed once more wondering who was the man named Beltrán Camacho they were talking about. She would have to bring it up to Juliana soon. But a sickening feeling settled within her, a feeling of guilt that an innocent stranger was willingly allowing herself to be a vulnerable human shield for her. Valentina was not scared of death or dying. It was an idea that she grew accustomed to as death threat after death threat poured in. She knew she was doing something right for her country after all. It would be a death not in vain. But oddly enough, she was more scared of someone else dying for her.

_I pray by the grace of the heavens above, let her win it and keep you alive._

_Keep you alive, keep you alive, keep you alive--_ Panchito's words for Juliana kept repeating itself in Valentina's mind. She hoped those prayers were strong enough to let them end the war and outlive it.

 

* * *

 

When night fell, Juliana rode out with her new badass motorcycle to buy more medicine for Valentina and dinner from a pizzeria. She liked pineapple on her pizza-- which drove Valentina absolutely mad. If she were in a cheeky mood, she would have only bought a box for herself and forced Valentina to eat her favorite Hawaiian-flavored pizza. But adding insult to injury would not add to her cause so she bought a classic margherita pizza for the activist. She was too lazy to cook and Valentina would kill her if she had someone deliver food in their hideout. Once she got everything she needed, she lingered at the gates outside the abandoned mansion just to check if anything was out of the ordinary. She made sure that the CCTV cameras she installed in the courtyard and other strategic spots were in order and still functioning.

Upon arriving, she found Valentina sitting in the dark with the projector turned on watching a film in the living space. As soon as the bodyguard made her presence known, the injured woman haphazardly turned off the projector and slammed her laptop shut. Juliana flicked the lights on momentarily to get a bottle of beer from the refrigerator. "Are you feeling better now?"

"A bit." The activist immediately sat up and gathered herself. She was trying to hide something that she was up to.

Juliana sat beside Valentina and consumed the beverage like she was parched for hours. Noticing that it was from her Dos Equis beer stash, Valentina had an irritated expression painted on her face. 

"Excuse me. Is that yours?"

Juliana had guzzled half of the bottle already. "I don't see your name on it." She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

Realizing that the bodyguard was taking her revenge on her for stealing a few of her untagged Carlos V chocolate bars, she let her have the bottle. "Well, at least, grab one for me too." She coaxed, but Juliana brought her beer bottle away from Valentina.

"Absolutely not. Alcohol and medicine should not mix together." The bodyguard spoke sternly.

Valentina hated it when Juliana was being strict with her. Juliana opened the box of freshly made pizza and excitedly munched on it like a child. She was dousing the slice with loads of hot sauce.

“Let me guess. You only got Hawaiian?” Valentina watched Juliana take a hefty bite of the slice in repugnance. “That’s disgusting, Valdés.” For someone so fit, Valentina could not understand how Juliana could eat a bunch of junkfood but still have an amazing physique. She was ready to pick out the pineapples from the pizza slice she took when Juliana pushed a separate box of pizza to the injured woman.

“You’re welcome.” Juliana cockily spoke even before the other woman opened the box. It was her favorite margherita pizza-- of course, with extra cheese. Just the way she liked it. Valentina's face immediately lit up.

“You know what, Valdés? You’re not so bad after all.” The activist quickly took a slice and happily chomped on it like Juliana. 

The bodyguard smiled to herself, proud of another tiny victory with winning the spitfire activist over. “So what movie were you watching? Let's watch it together." She urged, crossing her legs on the couch right beside Valentina.

"No. Just enjoy your disgusting pineapple pizza in silence."

"Were you watching porn?" Juliana jokingly chided.

Valentina would rather be caught watching porn than a romantic film in the presence of her "badass" bodyguard. Besides, the film she was viewing had some clear resonance to her sort-of relationship with her bodyguard. "What's wrong if it's Feminist Porn?"

Juliana was suspicious. She had a feeling that it was not pornography that Valentina was watching. She quickly switched the projector and the computer on. The movie was still paused. Valentina tried to stop her but she already pressed play. The activist was actually watching the Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner film, The Bodyguard. 

"Interesting..." The pineapple pizza fiend muttered.

"What? Whitney's vocals were astounding in this film!" Valentina defended herself. "She's very talented, absolutely gorgeous. I mean, she's more than just a supersta..."

"Save your gay, Carvajal." The ex-soldier interjected. "So you're watching 'The Bodyguard,' huh?" She smirked and wiggled her eyebrows as she emphasized the title of the movie.

Valentina covered her face with her hands. She was caught and she had no good excuse for it. "Can I just watch the film in peace without being judged? I wasn't the one singing to Britney in the car."

Juliana was not the least bit embarrassed about liking Britney's songs. She knew that Valentina was not embarrassed about liking romantic films-- but rather, she was embarrassed at the fact that she was caught watching a film that had something to do with her-- _a bodyguard._ "All right... Just don't go singing 'I Will Always Love You' in my funeral when I get shot and die or whatever." Juliana giggled. "We had a pact. remember?"

"Don't fall in love with me and I won't fall in love with you. I know, I know." Valentina repeated it with an annoyed tone. "That's the easiest pact in the world."

"Whatever you say,  _guerrera."_   The bodyguard sarcastically spoke as she took another slice of pizza for herself. "Whatever you say..."

"Ok, can you just shut up and watch? This is the part when Whitney sings!"

The couch was big enough for them to sit on both ends. However, the two sat closely together in the middle and did not mind the minute space between them. Juliana would make quick side glances at Valentina all throughout the film. The woman was too immersed in the film; her face showed a range of emotions as if she were in the film herself. Valentina would even sing along to the songs and quote lines from it. It was apparent that Valentina had seen the film numerous times. By the end of the movie, she was already sniffing and drenched in tears while singing along to the theme song of the film.

As the credits rolled with that still of Kevin Costner peering in the corner of the frame as the theme song played in the background, Valentina turned to Juliana. "Promise me you won't die while you're protecting me."

"Why?" Juliana handed her a roll of tissue to wipe her tears with.

The woman dried her tears and took a sip of water. She composed herself before speaking again. "Because I won't be able to watch this film the same way again. And I love this film!"

"I can't promise you that." Juliana looked away and sneered.

"So you're saying that you're ready to die for me? That's... preposterous?"

"Well, that's the job."

Valentina wondered why she kept hearing that line from her bodyguard. Yes, it might be her job, but being the passionate activist/journalist that she was, she could not fathom how someone could fully commit to something that puts her life at great risk. There must be something more to it, a more profound reason that it being a mere job.

"And why is that? Why would you so readily, and might I say, stubbornly die for me?"

"Because I believe in you," Juliana gazed at Valentina once more, "I believe in you and in what you do."

The activist was taken aback. Those were words that she rarely heard, given sparingly to her. Even her siblings, Eva and Guillermo, believed in what she was fighting for but was quite apprehensive with what she did knowing that her life was always on the line, and that death might come in knocking at a moment's notice. They believed in the changed that she wanted, but were doubtful of her capacity to affect such a wide-scale societal change, shaking down the very institutions of the country.  _I believe in you_ sounded cheesy but they were powerful words, at least for her, to reassure her that she was on the right path.

"What I can promise you though," Juliana paused dramatically, "Is I would look a thousand times better than Kevin Costner in a suit and with a gun in hand while saving you."

Valentina's tears quickly turned to laughter as she gently elbowed her bodyguard. "Watch it, Valdés! You're getting too cocky. You're on thin ice!"

Juliana laughed along with her and digressed. "Do you want to watch something else?"

"Do you want to keep adding more films to my 'list of movies I can't bear to watch when you die?'"

"If you put it that way... then sure." The two matched each other's sarcasm.

"What do you want to watch next then?"

"The Princess Bride. It's an 80's classic!" Juliana searched for the title in the online streaming site that Valentina was subscribed to. Valentina apparently enjoyed 80's and 90's films just as much as Juliana did. When the opening credits began, the bodyguard quoted the most famous line of the movie with the same gusto and expression as the character, "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!"

The activist bursted into fits of hilarity as she mimicked Juliana. Little did she know that Juliana's hilarious repetition of the film's famous monologue was one of the reasons why she believed in what the activist did. Juliana, in some way, wanted to avenge her father's death from the hands of the drug cartel. Taking down a corrupt system would quench her bloodthirst for revenge. They enjoyed the film without the bodyguard choosing not to reveal that fact. As the night wore on, the two dozed off on the couch watching movies together.

In the wee hours of the morning, Juliana awoke to Valentina lying snugly on her shoulder. The woman's face was almost burrowed on the crook of Juliana's neck. The lights emanating from the projector, refracted and blinded her as she was coming to a sense of wakefulness. A movie was still playing in the background. It was exactly the scene from "Tootsie" when the theme song of the film, "It Might Be You" was playing. Juliana snorted at how coincidental the song played as she found herself in an intimate position with Valentina. She swiftly turned off the projector and the computer, careful not to disturb the woman still deep in slumber. She half-consciously put her arm around her and laid her head on hers, getting a whiff of the nice scent of her hair. Juliana allowed herself a few more minutes of sleep, of a rare warm moment with Valentina to revel in before she had to make her daily rounds around the property. In a few more hours, they would be back to heckling each other. But for now, they were still bounded by the spell of the night, of the mesmerizing moments before dawn. She comfortably stayed there awhile in peace. It was a dream out of her dreams, and she was aware of it even when the night was not yet over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Truth be told, "The Bodyguard" is one of my favorite films. I've watched it a dozen of times and Whitney was an absolute queen. That's one of the reasons why I wrote this fic. This chapter is an homage to that film.
> 
> ...And I just adore 80's and 90's films. Have me as a teammate for those categories in a quiz show and we will undoubtedly win.
> 
> If you haven't seen the film and you're curious with the dramatic ending (it doesn't spoil too much btw). Here's a quick clip:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qOcaBhLh3Q
> 
> I know I've been teasing about the self-defense training-- and it's coming next chapter :D


	6. Lay Down Your Arms, Soldier of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juliana comes clean about Panchito's findings on a mysterious man named Beltrán Camacho. The bodyguard teaches Valentina how to shoot a gun and some close contact self-defense which elevates the sexual tension between them even more. It boils over during one sleepless night as they talk about life, death, and love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to that reader who said she came here for the Juliantina rough sex. This one's for you!  
> Serving some fluff and smut. Because I'm a giver... like Juliana. You're welcome ;)
> 
> But also, quick TW for mention of trauma, torture and sexual abuse.

Valentina dreaded whenever night fell. Ever since she received endless death threats from releasing _the NarcoPol Papers_ , she has had recurring nightmares of her dying in the most horrific ways. It kept her up most nights. She would wake up in the middle of her sleep, in the wee hours of the morning and would have trouble going back to sleep because of it. It was not so much that she was scared of dying. It was actually the opposite of it. What kept her up was the thought that she could not finish what she started-- that she would not find viable evidence to bring down Armenta and his corrupt regime; that all of her efforts for wanting to make a change would end in vain. Surprisingly that night, even as she was wounded from the protest-gone-wrong, she had a deep, uninterrupted slumber-- one where she did not see herself dying in a thousand flickering images in an endless loop nor did she roam cemeteries and see her own name engraved in a tombstone. There was nothing of that sort. Instead, there was a calm that washed over her as she took to the first waking moments of the day. The warm sunlight radiating from the skylight patches off the roof awoke the activist. The glare made it difficult for her to adjust her eyes to the space. She tossed to the side to avoid the light, wanting to extend her slumber for a bit more. As she breathed in and buried her face on the pillow, she got a whiff of Juliana’s shampoo on the pillow so she half-consciously snuggled into it more. She adored how her bodyguard wonderfully smelled like flowers even as she was clad in leather and torn denim like badass all the time-- a fascinating paradox to her image.

She could smell Juliana as if she was beside her.

Valentina’s eyes shot wide open. _Did they sleep together last night?_ She found herself tucked in her bodyguard’s blanket and lying down on her pillow on the living room couch. She jolted up to check if Juliana was around-- to check if the bodyguard had seen her careening to be wafted in the comfort of her scent, of her phantom presence in the things that she owned, of places where she was in. There was no sign of the bodyguard within earshot. She was perhaps making her rounds around the estate early in the morning. Knowing that the coast was clear and she still had moments to be alone, she laid down once more, buying time in the comfort that she had lost but found again in sleep.   

The injured woman awoke an hour and a half later. Now the space was well-illuminated with the morning light. She approached the dining space and found that her bodyguard had made her breakfast and even prepared the medications she needed to take in. Juliana cooked some omelettes and tortillas with salsa on the side. A note was left near the plate: “Eat first before drinking your meds. You ran out of milk for your coffee. You’re allowed to take some from mine… for now.” Juliana ended it with an emoji sticking out its tongue.

Valentina giggled. She had always been sneakily getting milk from Juliana’s own carton and the poor bodyguard had not noticed. Beside the note was a stem of a yellow wildflower. Juliana perhaps picked it up somewhere in the estate. Valentina appreciated that final touch for her late breakfast.

The meal that Juliana prepared for the injured woman was simple yet sumptuous. Valentina thought of herself as delusional when she entertained the idea of how good it would be if Juliana was just not her bodyguard, but something else, perhaps something more. Would it be too much if she had asked for this kind of peace, this kind of calm every single waking day of her life?

After breakfast, Valentina went outside to look for her bodyguard. She found her in the courtyard giving her motorcycle a thorough wash.

“ _¡Buenos días!_ Did you sleep well?” The bodyguard greeted cheerfully.

The activist thought that Juliana was incredibly distracting even when she was just wearing a plain tank top that showed off her well-toned arms and a silhouette of her firm abs. Juliana noticed Valentina gawking at her.

“Earth to Carvajal?” Juliana waved. “Earth to gay mess Carvajal?”

Valentina came back to her senses when she thought she had heard her bodyguard say the phrase _gay mess._ “What the fuck are you staring at, Valdés?”

Juliana snorted and shook her head. The activist was even the one who had the audacity to call her out for being spaced.

“I want to ask you about something." Valentina folded her arms, as if to say that she meant business.

"Shoot."

"I heard you talking about a Beltrán Camacho with Panchito yesterday. Who is he?”

Juliana did not bother to look up and was busy polishing the chrome spokes of the wheels of her motorcycle. “Hold on. Let me finish cleaning up my baby first.”

“My baby,” Valentina rolled her eyes and mockingly muttered under her breath.

"What's wrong?" The bodyguard sauntered towards where Valentina stood. " _¿Celosa, bebe?"_ She brushed her thumb on Valentina's chin and grinned.

"You'd like it if I were jealous. Wouldn't you,  _bebecita?"_ The activist gave her her own dose of flirtation as she ran her hand on the bodyguard's shoulder down to her arm. She inched her face close towards Juliana, as if she was mockingly going in for a kiss.

" _Dios mio,_  I'm too sane at this time of the day for this kind of heckling, Carvajal." Juliana complained as she turned away. The distance of her mouth with the other woman's was too much for her to handle. She bit her lip and exhaled audibly. "Let me just show you the documents that Panchito gave me." 

Valentina snickered at how uncomfortable she made Juliana feel, but perhaps the two had secretly wanted each other through all their playful exchanges. The activist followed the bodyguard inside the hideout. She took a seat at the dining area while Juliana scoured for the files in her attache case. “Well, do you know someone by the name of Beltrán Camacho? Perhaps he’s a part of Alianza Revolucionaria?” Juliana asked.

“No, I’m not familiar with anyone by that name.”

“Well, what about this man?” Juliana walked towards the dining space and slid a folder to the activist.

Valentina took a good look on the photo of the person who was supposedly named Beltrán Camacho. He seemed very familiar to her. From the intentional unkempt look of the man, it was very apparent that he was hiding something. She studied it closer and tried to imagine the man without an overgrown beard, his hair trimmed and with a different color, and the man _sans_ glasses-- or perhaps a thinner frame for his face. She had a Eureka moment as her eyes grew wide. There was a look of shock and disbelief painted on her face when she realized who the mysterious man was. “That man is not Beltrán Camacho," she exclaimed as she looked up at the bodyguard. "That’s Johny Corona!”

“Corona?" Juliana rubbed her chin. "I think I’ve heard of that name before.”

“Well, he looks different in this photo. He grew a beard, now wears thick-rimmed glasses, and dyed his hair a darker color!" There was fury in the tone of the activist's voice. "He used to be the Secretary-General of Alianza. But he disappeared in politics some time three years ago. He was part of the special drug task force that Armenta created.”

“Why did he disappear though? Did Armenta kill him?” Juliana pulled up a chair, interested in Valentina's intel. 

“When I say disappear, what I mean is that he’s still alive-- Armenta just made the public believe that Corona was dead for years. The hacktivists of the _Soldaderas_ found incriminating evidence that Corona was a drug lord. So we released that in public years ago. Corona was Armenta’s right hand man. To cover up any trace he had with Corona’s drug dealings, Armenta killed off Corona-- to convince the public that he was quote-unquote 'serious' about his war on drugs.”

“But he isn’t really dead?”

“Well, that was what we were thinking. We had the great hunch that he wasn’t dead. He was off the grid. Even his government information was not available. Nowhere to be found. It was as if he didn’t exist at all-- not even a death certificate. But this," Valentina raised the folder jubilantly, "this changes everything.” She was impressed with how Juliana took her job seriously-- that she was smart enough to follow up on a hunch that she had when they were being chased by the black van on the first day they met. Juliana was not all brawn but she had the brains to match it up. She was to prove it even more.

“Uhm... No secrets, right?” Juliana apprehensively approached the subject, trying to feel the waters for how Valentina would react to her snooping in her decoy apartment. “I took the liberty to go to your apartment in Roma Norte early this morning.”

Valentina had not been to the apartment in months. She swallowed hard. If she had to be honest, it was a nest of her nightmares.

“I've gathered up the anonymous letters on your death threats. Are you aware that you've been getting so many of them?”

“That’s why I moved out. I can’t bear reading or seeing them.” The elation from Valentina's face drained out as soon as Juliana brought the subject up. She was reminded of the ones that she had mistakenly decided to read. They threatened to kill the ones she loved most-- Eva and Guillermo, to torture her, to douse her in gasoline then burn her alive, and even so as to rape her before they would gruesomely, in detail, gut her alive. Juliana had also read some of them. It unnerved her, chilled her to her core so she understood why there was a sudden change in the activist's demeanor.

“I brought them to Panchito before coming back here. He pulled some strings for some people to investigate it. We’ll see if anything turns out-- patterns, even forensics if possible, to trace if it's just from one or multiple sources.”

Recalling those days when she still lived in Roma Norte alone-- receiving those death threats everyday as if she were eating them for breakfast, made Valentina incredibly distraught. Juliana noticed this and part of her felt guilty for bringing it up. She did not know how to break it to her easier, but she had also promised that she would not keep secrets from her. She reached out for Valentina's hand and squeezed it. "I'm here. You're safe with me." 

Valentina exhaled at her bodyguard's reassurance. Her rapidly beating heart relaxed in Juliana's simple touch and wished she would not let go.

“ _Gracias_.”

 

* * *

 

Valentina's self-defense training commenced a couple of weeks after she recovered from her injuries. Juliana wanted her to be in tip-top shape for her training that was why she gave the woman some leeway to prepare herself. Part of knowing self-defense was wielding a firearm. Valentina, being the pacifist that she was, was very adamant in not wanting to do anything with a firearm. Juliana successfully persuaded her that it was just an option-- that she was only to use a gun in dire circumstances (although heaven forbid that they would come to such circumstance). Juliana brought the activist to a shooting range one afternoon when the activist had some time off in her busy schedule. 

“Show me how you do it first.” Valentina obliged as she stepped back. She was just making some excuse so she can procrastinate from doing any actual shooting.

The ex-soldier slipped on some protective gear and gripped her semi-automatic pistol. Juliana, being the sharpshooter that she was, shot a whole magazine with only headshots from a long distance. She was right on the money with her targets. Valentina was uncertain that it was the right call to make her bodyguard shoot a gun and make it look so easy. Although she was a pacifist, there was something about how badass the bodyguard looked while shooting a gun that made her turned on. Perhaps she was right giving that comment about how she would look a thousand times better than Kevin Costner in a suit and a gun in hand.

“Now it’s your turn.” Juliana fitted the ear mufflers and protective eye gear to Valentina.

The activist picked up the gun with shaky hands. She had never held a gun before.

“This is how you hold it properly.” Juliana stood behind the activist and clasped her hands on Valentina’s own, arranging her grip properly. “Put that finger up on the frame. That’s it.”

The bodyguard reveled in the freedom of having any physical contact with the spitfire activist. She relished in the moment that Valentina was not in any position to heckle at her-- mostly because she knew she was nervous and she was too preoccupied to call her out. 

“Now insert that magazine," the ex-soldier pointed at it, "And once you hear that click, you’re ready to slide it back and shoot.”

Valentina was too distracted with the proximity of Juliana’s body on hers. She would get a whiff of Juliana's scent swishing all around her and she would feel like she was in a spell. Even when her bodyguard explained the proper usage of the gun, all she could do was just stare at her mouth and hold her breath whenever her body grazed hers. She was preoccupied, all right.

“Focus on the front sight." Juliana's face was so close to Valentina's as she pointed on a feature on the tip of the barrel. The activist inhaled deeply. "You have to brace yourself when the gun recoils so you have to have an aggressive stance.” Juliana rested her hands on Valentina’s shoulders and hips.

Valentina was nervous because she was not paying much attention at her bodyguard’s instructions. She was too distracted with her bodyguard.

“When you’re ready.” Juliana stepped back and awaited for the activist to pull the trigger.

The activist held her breath. She focused and fired the gun. It echoed loudly throughout the range. She hit the bull’s eye on her first try and she started jumping up and down. She could not believe it. In her excitement, she threw her arms around Juliana.

“Did you see that? Did you fucking see that?” Valentina pointed at the target with the gun. Juliana's eyes grew wide. She was afraid that Valentina would accidentally pull the trigger again since she had not locked the gun to safety after firing it.

“Guess you’re not the only badass in town anymore huh, Valdés? Look out, Armenta! I’m coming for you!” Valentina began to clumsily point the gun everywhere and Juliana had to jump on her hand. She almost gave the bodyguard a heart attack.

“Your accuracy is great but we have to work on some other things too." Juliana heaved a sigh of relief that she was able to disarm Valentina and lock the gun into safety in the nick of time.

Along with Valentina's self-defense lessons were sparring sessions with Juliana which entailed her to practice some mixed martial arts moves. She was not particularly looking forward for the close contact training with Juliana. Not only did she have to wake up way too early for it, but Juliana was having too much fun fooling around with her. She had a feeling that Juliana was not only enjoying toying with her emotions during training-- but she perhaps, relished in their close contact as well (as if Valentina herself did not delight in it). Valentina, however, did enjoy when they had boxing sessions. She could take out her frustrations on the bodyguard through her punches. On their training, Juliana would always wear a sports bra and leggings outfit combo. Valentina found it incredibly flustering. She was starting to believe that her bodyguard was doing it intentionally because she knew that she admired her physique. It was her thirst trap, and perhaps she was falling for it-- but not before she goes down without a fight.

One morning, she entered the makeshift gym in the dining area of the abandoned mansion just wearing a sports bra and a pair of skimpy shorts.

"Make it fast. I don't have all day." The activist made a snarky remark as the bodyguard was laying down the rubber mats on the floor because she was going to teach her how to get out of predicaments in ground attacks. Juliana swallowed hard upon seeing Valentina almost half-naked with her outfit and playing with her ponytail. She turned her face away from the woman so she would not see how red her face had turned. She was caught by surprise.

"Perhaps we could go faster if you helped me out with these." 

Valentina grabbed some rubber mats and laid it on the floor. They pieced them together like a jigsaw puzzle. The activist intentionally invaded her bodyguards space because she enjoyed seeing her getting flustered. Their hands brushed together and the bodyguard felt jolted by the mere contact in their hands.

"I'm going to lie down. I'll demonstrate first before you try it." Juliana ordered.

"Right down to the action already? No foreplay?" Valentina joked.

In Juliana's mind, the foreplay was already Valentina sauntering around her skimpy outfit and teasing the heck out of her. "We don't have all day, Carvajal. Now do as I say."

The bodyguard lied down on the mats and the activist straddled her between her legs. 

“I’ll be throwing you down on the floor and you have to brace yourself for impact. Do you trust me?”

"I call for the necessity of a safe word!" Valentina joked as if she were accusing her bodyguard as a sex fetish fiend.

"This is not BDSM, Carvajal! Take this seriously, please!" Juliana put a palm to her face. The activist was too much for her to handle.

"Ok! Fine! What do you want me to do next?"

"Choke me."

Valentina bursted into laughter. "Are you freaking serious? And you're not calling this BDSM?" She continued to make fun of the bodyguard's orders. "I'll only do it if you specifically say  _choke me, daddy._ Deal?"

Juliana caught the activist off guard. She struck her to the side and mounted her down to the floor. She was now the one straddling her and putting her hands around her neck.

"When someone is trying to choke you, don’t try to rip their hands off. Kick their groin, or if that doesn’t work, you have to push them to the side just like what I did. Now try doing the same."

“You were quick to call me kinky, _capitana_ but look at you with your techniques!” The activist playfully quipped. "You like being on top, huh?"

The bodyguard pretended that she did not hear her comments. “Try to push me to the side now.”

Juliana was straddling Valentina between her legs with her hands pretending to choke the weaker woman. “Now try getting out of this predicament," she encouraged once more when Valentina did not act on her cue.

“What if I don’t want to?” Valentina wiggled her hips, slightly grinding on her bodyguard's crotch.

“Then you’ll die of asphyxiation…" Juliana brought her face close to Valentina's. "You know… Like when I take your breath away.” She shot her a wink.

Valentina threw Juliana to the ground as hard as she can and put her in the submission hold that her bodyguard taught her a couple of sessions ago. Juliana was the one surprised. She did not tell her to go to the advanced move yet but Valentina did. She tapped out of the submission hold. 

“If you keep up with that, you’ll be the one taking my breath away.” The bodyguard was breathless and impressed. For someone who ran her mouth a lot, the activist knew how to walk her talk.

 

* * *

 

When Valentina thought that her recurring nightmares had disappeared, they decided to visit her one unsuspecting night again. She woke up sweating and panting. She sat up from her bed and desperately tried to catch her breath. Her first impulse was to press the button on her emergency device that guised itself as an accessory. But her bodyguard was not aware of her sleeping problems. Valentina hurriedly went downstairs to grab a glass of water, turning on all the lights as she usually did, finding solace away from the darkness. She was surprised that Juliana was not around. She was not on the couch sleeping. There was no one grumbling angrily as she switched on all the lights. There was no sign of her inside the house. It only made Valentina even more paranoid that the person who was tasked to keep her safe was not around.

The person who made her feel safe was away from her.

After downing the glass of water, she took deep breaths and could faintly hear someone strumming a guitar outside. Valentina grabbed her bodyguard's jacket from the coat rack to check on the sounds she was hearing. She saw Juliana seated on the rooftop of another storage house that the bodyguard turned into a surveillance center. Her face was illuminated only by moonlight. The woman began to sing while she played the guitar.

> _There's something in the way she moves or looks my way or calls my name  
>  _ _That seems to leave this troubled world behind_

Valentina stood by the door listening to her bodyguard sing and felt her heart flutter. Juliana was not aware that Valentina was watching her from distance, delighted by the way she serenaded the night.

> _And if I'm feeling down and blue or troubled by some foolish game  
>  _ _She always seems to make me change my mind_

There was a calming quality to Juliana’s singing voice. Valentina shut her eyes and swayed along to the melody. Her heart fluttered thinking the lyrics were how she exactly felt for Juliana.

> _And I feel fine anytime she's around me now  
>  _ _She's around me now almost about all the time_

“Couldn’t sleep?” The activist broke Juliana's enchantment.

The bodyguard was surprised at Valentina's presence. She was too taken with her song that she was not aware of her surroundings, that there was someone attentively listening to her. “I’d say the same thing for you.” She stopped strumming her guitar and set it aside.

The two drifted into silence-- Juliana being caught in a vulnerable moment and Valentina wanting to speak about something that troubled her. She did not know where to begin and could only oblige to ask her bodyguard, "Can you please come back in?"

"Why?"

"I just..." Valentina hesitated for a moment. "I feel safe when I know you're around."

Juliana thought it to be weird that Valentina uttered something along those lines. Her usual untrusting demeanor was not painted on her face. She was genuine about her words. She indulged her and walked with her back to the hideout. Valentina dawdled in the kitchen after Juliana had fixed her up with a cup of sweet, hot cocoa. 

"Are you sleeping anytime soon? I can't sleep with the lights on." The bodyguard prepped her pillows and blankets.

Valentina did not respond. She heard Juliana but something within her wanted to tell the bodyguard what had been worrying her all this time. She just sat on the kitchen counter, staring blankly at Juliana's general direction.

"Is there something wrong?" Juliana stood up from her place of slumber and walked towards Valentina who was skittishly picking on her fingers. Juliana grasped the activist's hands on her own, to stop the woman from her habit.

Her blue eyes refused to meet Juliana's auburn ones as she finally spoke, “Ever since I’ve been in running and in hiding, I have recurring dreams of dying. Each one more gruesome than the last.”

The ex-soldier had been traumatized with her experience in the field. She understood that these nightmares were instigated in some way by the threats that she had been receiving and the assassination plots that she managed to survive.

“Are you afraid of dying?” The ex-soldier's words were potent.

“I am... But when my death is not in vain, it seems not to be as horrific as it is.”

“I expected that response.” Juliana shook her head, partly in disappointment. “In this whole ordeal, of you getting death threats and plotted to be assassinated, I am not sure that it occurred to you to think about yourself for a second. It’s always about the _Soldaderas!_ Eva and Guille! Mexico! The Narco-politicians!" Juliana exclaimed with gusto as she raised her fist in the air. "Have you ever thought… what about me? What about Valentina Carvajal?”

The bodyguard did have a good point. She had done nothing for herself ever since she went after the government and the biggest cartel of the country. But she was way too deep into it for her to bail out. It was either she finished it or she would have to be the one to be finished. There was no time for her to think for herself.

“Well, how about you? Are you afraid of dying?” The activist threw back Juliana's own question to her.

Without missing a beat, the ex-soldier gave her an ounce of her pure honesty, “I am.”

Valentina did not expect that answer from Juliana, coming from someone who had stared death multiple times and rejected its calling. “Why is that?”

“When you find something, someone worth living for, death can’t be an option-- unless, of course,  it’s the only option to keep that person you’re living for alive.” Juliana stepped closer in front of Valentina, meeting her gaze as she caught the woman's attention with her words. “There’s so many things I haven’t done in life that I still have yet to do.” She ruminated on the life she had in the military and how lonely it was, on how in retrospect, she had nothing in mind but to avenge her father's death. Perhaps she had lost productive years for herself obsessing over it, and it was only now that she realized that there was more to living. She knew she would be able to do that if she kept herself alive throughout this whole ordeal with Valentina. "To love living in spite of all this...even with death awaiting in every corner. Just to be able to love is radical.”

Valentina smiled at what Juliana said. She did not think of Juliana to be a romantic. It was indirect but Valentina thought that maybe, just maybe, she was the one that Juliana wanted to stay alive for-- or at least she hoped. They both lingered in silence, letting the bodyguard's words meld into the atmosphere. The activist reached for her bodyguard's hands and intertwined her fingers with hers. The bodyguard stepped closer, leaving a minute space between them-- her eyes staring at the activist's plump, red lips.

"Are you going all soft on me, Carvajal?" Juliana remarked before she knew Valentina would say something along those lines.

"What are you holding off for, soldier of love? Is that how you like it? All soft and sweet?" The activist suggestively uncrossed her legs. She placed Juliana's hands on her lap, grabbed on one and guided it along to caress her bare thigh, sliding up just near between her legs.

"Quite the contrary." The bodyguard bound her arms around her protectee and aggressively pulled her close to her body. It was becoming a battle of who would flinch first, but no one was cowering from each other's advances. It was palpable in the air that they both wanted each other that night.

"Then give it to me." Valentina seductively whispered into Juliana's ear, her breath hot on her neck. "Show me how you want it." 

Juliana did not hesitate to lean in and kiss Valentina. She hummed in satisfaction as she felt the activist's soft lips lapping over hers again and again. The bodyguard reached down and slid Valentina's panties to the side and felt her already hot and wet. She caught Valentina's lips on hers once more as she curled two fingers inside her. She moved her hips to Juliana's rhythm, wanting her faster and deeper inside her. Juliana made Valentina come for her in the kitchen counter first before she took her to bed. Valentina wrapped her arms and legs around her bodyguard as she carried her to her bedroom. Juliana swiftly removed Valentina's silk nightgown and pinned her on the bed, holding down her wrists as she made a trace of kisses from her nape down to her lower back. When Juliana let go of her wrists, the activist turned around to try to pin the bodyguard down to the bed too. But instead she was met with the sight of the fit woman taking her shirt off, exposing her washboard abs. Valentina ran her hands on Juliana’s abs, arms and back, adoring every sculpt of the woman’s body. Juliana cupped Valentina’s breasts. She flicked her tongue on the woman’s aroused nipples and sucked on them. Valentina finally had her chance to flip Juliana over, kissing her neck and nibbling on her collarbone. The bodyguard was taken by surprised at how Valentina got stronger in their weeks of training. The activist was grinding on Juliana. She felt the woman's wetness on her bare leg, dripping on her thighs. She pressed Juliana's shoulders down as she sat on the woman's face. How long did Juliana want her this way? All for her to devour without inhibitions. She ran her hands on Valentina's lithe body, squeezed her tender breasts and ass with both of her hands. Valentina steadied herself holding on to the headboard of her bed. Juliana's tongue licked softly from the bottom going up, encircled her clit and stuck it inside her repeatedly. Valentina's knees shook as she came on Juliana's mouth. She was dripping on her bodyguard's chin and neck. The activist collapsed on the bed, breathless and sweating. She was exhausted and ready to call it a night.

But Juliana was not yet done.

A moan escaped Valentina when Juliana entered her again slowly with her fingers. Juliana’s eyes were burning with desire, not taking off her gaze at the blue-eyed woman as her fingers slipped in and out of her, feeling her relaxing and tensing up to her touch. She fucked her hard and deep-- and the way the blue-eyed woman clutched on Juliana would leave marks on her body the next day. When she felt the woman getting close, she stopped for a moment. Juliana attempted for a kiss but Valentina did not give her the satisfaction for suspending her from climax. She held Valentina's wrists once more and ravaged her neck and her breasts with kisses. She made her way down until her mouth found its way back between Valentina's legs, licking her wet folds. Juliana looked up to grin at her, fully aware of how she was becoming so irresistible to the beautiful woman. Valentina wanted her but she kept suspending her pleasure. She held down Juliana’s head so she gave it to her-- she licked and sucked on Valentina's clit, devoured her until she was bucking her hips, crying and tapping out. She kept her mouth on Valentina’s wetness even when she felt the woman clenching on her fingers in an intense wave of pleasure. Juliana hovered over Valentina, giving her a mouthful of kisses. She tasted herself on Juliana’s tongue and lips. She felt the heat from the fit woman's body and savored the air between them. Juliana was staring deeply into Valentina's blue eyes, out of breath. The activist delicately ran her fingers on the ex-soldiers scars and the eventual marks that she would leave on her body for fucking her hard.

Juliana bound her arms around Valentina's waist and showered the back of her ear, her neck and her sexy back with kisses. Valentina felt the rapid rising and falling of the ex-soldier's chest gradually settling to a calm. Perhaps she would sleep better now if Juliana laid beside her every night. She nuzzled closer in the woman's hold; there was no place in the world that she would rather be in when she felt safe in Juliana's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Send help. I don't know how to write shorter chapters anymore. XD


	7. Pacts vs Facts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Juliana and Valentina's morning after. The narrative further progresses as they finally encounter the mysterious man, Beltran Camacho. Juliana and Valentina along with the Soldaderas plot a mission to gather more evidence to incriminate Camacho/Corona's connection with Armenta and the La Muerte Cartel. The operation encounters a mishap which sends the duo in a dangerous shootout. Will Valentina and Juliana (or either of them) survive?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait for the update. I had very very busy weeks because I had a change of schedule at work for the month. Nevertheless, here you go! Another looong chapter.

As the early morning sun peeked in the horizon, Juliana studied Valentina’s beauty in the faint, rosy light racing through the hideout’s glass ceilings to her bareness-- the light kissing her in all the places she wish she still could. Although she had showered her with kisses (and more) in their night of passion, she wanted to do it again but obviously, could not. The bodyguard awoke with her limbs entangled with the activist’s, their bare skin leaving no minute space between them, enveloped in each other’s warmth and feeling the other’s chest rising and falling. When Juliana’s heart settled from the surprise that she was in the same bed, naked with the activist, she felt her heart resonating the beat of Valentina’s. She gently traced a finger on Valentina’s jawline and pressed her lips softly on her forehead, hoping that the woman in her arms was still deep in slumber to notice any of her intimate movements though delicate they might have seemed. Juliana’s eyes sweeped Valentina’s flushed cheeks, the adorable curve on the tip of her nose and her plump lips. She regarded every subtlety on her face even the mild fluttering of her lashes as she breathed in and the loose tresses on the side of her face falling as she exhaled out.

Juliana pondered, what was it with Valentina Carvajal that she liked the most?

Was it the way she always held herself with grace and intelligence? Her altruistic whims and heroic valor to bring social justice in spite of her stubbornness? Or was it the exquisite mix of her gentleness paired with her palpable strength-- the way that she stood on pedestals, on podiums fiercely calling out the names of cold-blooded killers and powerful, corrupt men like they were devils incarnated. Valentina was so fearless, strong and spirited, and yet in her arms, she was like an angel that only yearned for a haven away from the restless, treacherous world she was put into. In her strongest and even in her most vulnerable, Valentina was a sight to behold.

When Juliana attempted to stealthily get off from Valentina’s hold so she could do her morning rounds in the estate (and perhaps avoid an awkward ‘morning after’ confrontation with her), like impulse, Valentina unconsciously pulled her bodyguard closer to her. Juliana remembered what the activist had disclosed to her last night-- that she had terrible recurring nightmares of her dying in the most gruesome ways. Perhaps that unconscious movement, the way she nestled her head closer to Juliana’s chest, knowing that she was close by, indeed made her feel safe. The bodyguard allowed herself to stay in that moment not just because Valentina needed her-- but more so for her own satisfaction that someone she was growing a fondness for needed her. She rested a hand on Valentina’s hand and observed if she would flinch. She did not. However, the bodyguard was caught by surprise when the activist began to speak in a hushed tone.

“Technically we didn’t break the pact.” Valentina muttered with her sultry morning voice, drenched in sleep.

“Pact? What do you mean?” Juliana did not quite remember making a pact with Valentina. What was the pact all about?

Valentina still had her eyes closed as she spoke beneath her breath, “Just because we had sex doesn’t mean I’m in love with you.”

Juliana’s eyes shot wide open. She thought that Valentina was just finally softening up to her, and that perhaps, this could be the start of them beginning to trust each other more and stop bantering about the most menial of things. Last night she opened up to her (certainly in more ways than one), letting Juliana into her deepest, darkest thoughts and emotions. It finally occurred to Juliana what Valentina meant by the pact. They did have that informal pact when they first met: she will not fall in love with Valentina just as long as she would do the same for her. She did not understand why she felt thwarted with Valentina’s words. In the back of her mind, although she would not admit to it just quite yet, she was developing feelings for Valentina. 

“Right.” The bodyguard cleared her throat. “That’s exactly what I had in mind too actually.” The next words that were about to come out of her mouth was something that she had to swallow hard for, mainly because she was not totally convinced with it herself. “Because I’m not in love with you either.”

Valentina thought for sure that Juliana liked her, and her previous utterance would be a trap for her to admit that she indeed have feelings for her. She did not want to have to be the first to say that she might have feelings for Juliana-- they did have, in fact, a pact although it was made in such a frivolous way. But now, it seemed more like a bet of who would confess first.

“Good!” The activist tried to hide her disappointment for failing to make Juliana confess.

“Good.” The other woman matched Valentina’s fake tone of persuasion.

They laid on the bed with their bodies still intertwined. It took them a long moment before it occurred to them that they were still in an intimate position-- that neither of them actually did not want to let go just yet, did not want the night to be over and for the day to begin again.

“Can you let go of me then?” Juliana was gently tapping Valentina’s arm which was splayed on her waist. “That is… if you’re really NOT in love with me.”

“Excuse me?” Valentina gave herself some distance away from Juliana, not completely shocked with Juliana’s teasing. “You’re the one who’s in love with me!”

“You don’t have to make everything so difficult, but here we are...” The bodyguard spoke in a mocking tone. She threw her hands behind her head and laid on her back. She smirked and bent a knee, the blanket sliding off and exposing her leg. Valentina lingered on the bare leg before meeting eyes with the woman lying beside her.

“You have the audacity to call me difficult?” Valentina pinched Juliana on her side and the woman scowled. "I already gave you a favor!”

The bodyguard raised her eyebrows in amusement. “A favor?” She guffawed at Valentina’s usage of the word and turned to her side to look at Valentina once more.  “You meant us having sex last night was a favor I asked you for?”

“Well, I know you wanted it!” The activist was defensive. She was caught in her haphazard usage of words.

“And you didn’t?” The other woman cocked an eyebrow.

Valentina remained silent. There would be no use denying it.

“I thought so.” Juliana had a grin on her face as she stood up. Valentina did not look away when the woman with an incredible physique began to put her shirt and pants back on. She was silently wishing that Juliana dd not put her clothes back on. The bodyguard sauntered towards the staircase, but pausing for a bit to throw in one more joke down Valentina’s way.

“You have to admit though…”

“Admit what?” Valentina sat up and laid her back on the headboard. She wrapped her naked self up with a blanket that she shared with Juliana.

“I was good. Wasn’t I?” Juliana knew she made Valentina come so many times, exhausting the poor activist last night.

“You’re way in over your head, Valdés!"Valentina threw a pillow to Juliana. “ _Loca._ ” She was trying to hide a smile.

Juliana was fast with her quip. “But I know you went _loca_ for me last night.”

“Shut the fuck up, Valdés. Go make us some breakfast or whatever softie, cutesy thing you do that’s giving you and your feelings away.”

“Giving me away?”

“That you’re in love with me.” Valentina had a huge joking smile lining her lips.

It had been quite a long time since the activist had slept with someone, much less had a serious relationship with anyone. She was distrusting of every new person she came across, and it was mostly due to her line of work. If she got too close with anyone, it might cost her her life. She had to be extremely cautious. She could not afford to let the wrong people in to her life. Opening up to someone emotionally and physically was a long time coming for her last night.

Juliana matched Valentina’s smile and shook her head. She knew neither of them would succumb to revealing what they really felt. At least not at the moment. “Do you want your eggs scrambled or sunny-side up?”

Valentina hugged her knees and rested her head on top of it like a child. She sing sang her request in a playful childlike manner, “Scrambled, _por favor.”_

 

* * *

 

The activist was invited to give a special lecture in Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. She was an alumna of the university, and she was to speak about journalism and youth activism. Since she was going to make a public appearance in a venue that many people were going to attend, Juliana could not risk another mishap just like what happened in the protest-gone-wrong months ago. She had asked Panchito for back-up again because she needed an extra pair of eyes (and a few more) to keep the vicinity secure. Valentina, once again, stubbornly had a hysterical reaction and insisted that they did not need Panchito in the event-- her audience was mostly just comprised of university students and other academics. They did not pose as a massive threat to her, but Juliana was persistent. She knew that if she committed a mistake, either of them would be dead… or the both of them. She could not risk it. That was why she went ahead with her plans even without Valentina's approval. She thought she did not need it. 

The auditorium of UNAM was packed with students and teaching staff. Everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of the infamous activist and hear what she had to say. Panchito assigned two of his men in each of the entrances and exits of the location. He stayed on guard at the balcony to have a bird’s eye view of the whole venue. Juliana, on the other hand, situated herself in the backstage to get a good look on the audience and anyone who might infiltrate from the doors at the back.

“She’s like a rockstar, isn’t she?” Panchito radioed Juliana as the university students roared in a deafening applause and hollering when Valentina took center stage.

All throughout the lecture, Juliana was distracted by Valentina. She knew the woman was beautiful, but there was something sexy about a woman who was unafraid and unabashed, so well-informed and well-intentioned, so eloquent and just... incredibly admirable. She held her audience's attention well. They seemed to be fixated on her-- like a trance. The bodyguard wanted to listen to everything that the activist had to say instead of keeping her eyes peeled for any suspicious activity. The way she spoke with conviction. She was undeniably charismatic.

As the lecture came to a close, Juliana finally heaved a sigh of relief. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and there was no one who appeared to be a questionable persona in the audience. Juliana slipped into thinking that maybe she was being paranoid about the way she handled security on that event. It seemed overkill to call Panchito for a well-armed backup. Most of the the people in the auditorium were indeed just merely students-- and not cold-blooded killers. Juliana thanked Panchito and his men as she bid them farewell when the people in the auditorium trickled down. Valentina was still busy talking to faculty members and some students wanting take photos with her gathered in front of the auditorium. Some of the people were her former professors and they were delighted to see her. Juliana sat on a chair, staying nearby within an earshot of the activist when a conversation caught her attention.

“ _Profesor_ Camilo Guerra, head of _Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales_.” A man with uncombed, curly white hair and a beard that made him look like a Santa Claus introduced himself and a peculiar companion. “This is one of the donors of the university, _Señor_ Beltrán Camacho.”

_Beltrán Camacho._

Juliana’s disinterested demeanor suddenly shifted to her being extremely vigilant upon hearing that name.

“It is an honor to meet you _Señorita_ Carvajal.” The suspicious man extended his hand to the activist.

Valentina shot her bodyguard a look as a chill ran up and down her spine when she shook the man’s hand. This was the man who had spied on them a couple of months ago when they first met at Torre Carvajal. This was one of the men plotting to kill her.

“Likewise.” The woman gripped the man’s hand firmly to disguise the nervousness that she felt. However, she seemed too agitated and unintentionally squeezed the man's hand too tightly.

“A very firm grip,” the man responded as he shook his hand in the air to relieve it from pain.

Valentina even forgot to pretentiously apologize because she was caught by surprise. She was giving her bodyguard a look to get her out of the predicament. Instead of doing something, Juliana just looked on. 

“We would certainly love to have you for dinner hosted by the university’s generous donors on the weekend.” The professor suggested. “You must certainly come! It will be held at  _Señor_ Camacho’s lavish mansion.”

“Mansion? You’re flattering me too much, _profesor_! It is just a humble home.” The suspicious man brushed off the professor’s compliment, and perhaps he was faking his humility, much as he was faking his identity.

Valentina was unnerved and was put on the spot on this invitation. But she thought it would be a good undercover mission to find out more information on who this mysterious man was-- who magically claimed a new identity. “I would love to come. Thank you for inviting me.” She feigned some politeness towards the older men.

“I’m so glad that an esteemed guest will be coming to my home. We are looking forward to having you in the dinner.” Camacho had a creepy grin. Corona/Camacho had this look on his face that was not meant to look happy-- at least in Juliana's mind.

“Likewise.” For Valentina’s wide vocabulary, she could only spit out the same word because of her anxiety. Juliana was giggling on the side.

 

* * *

 

Valentina gathered the _Soldaderas_ the next day in their new secret headquarters, fronting as a laundry shop, in Barrio Chino to tell them about her plans to rummage Corona/Camacho's mansion and find evidence to reveal his real identity which would hopefully lead to them taking down Armenta and connect him to the La Muerte Cartel. One of the _Soldaderas_ , Mariela, was actually invited to the dinner too as her partner was also a donor to UNAM. It was good news since it would make their operation easier having two of them secretly going through Corona/Camacho's incriminating files. The hacktivists had hacked into Camacho’s security system and even got their hands on his mansion’s blueprint. However, in their days of surveillance they noticed him entering a secret passage in the library. They surmised that something was of utmost importance in the room that was why the secret passage was not included in the blueprint. The plan was for Mariela to search Camacho’s home office for evidence of his real identity and his connections to Armenta. Valentina on the other hand would explore the secret passage. Valentina’s task was riskier since they did not know what laid behind the shelves in the library. The other _Soldaderas_ including Juliana will be in a surveillance van a few blocks away from Camacho’s mansion.

When the night for Camacho's dinner finally arrived, Valentina was well-dressed for the occasion. Juliana was waiting for Valentina outside by her motorcycle, toying with her helmet. As the activist sauntered towards Juliana, she almost dropped her helmet on the ground. Valentina’s hair was styled in Hollywood curls. She was wearing a sexy, black halter dress that revealed the skin of her abdomen. The two stood still. Juliana was evidently ogling at the activist. She could not help herself. Valentina was absolutely breathtaking,

“I’m nervous.” Juliana admitted as she hooked a tiny microphone on the neckline of Valentina’s dress.

“Shouldn’t I be the one saying that?”

“Because I won't be there to protect you.”

“Trust me to fight my own battles, will you?” Valentina urged Juliana to meet her gaze.

“But you think you can fight everything.” She rolled her eyes and smiled. She knew Valentina had a lot of fight in her even if she had a lot of doubts within her.

“That’s right.” Valentina shot Juliana a wink. "Now let's go raise hell!"

The bodyguard thought that the activist was such a huge paradox. Her bravery was constantly fueled by her intensity for social justice in spite of the demons that haunted her at night, or when she found herself alone with her doubts. The bodyguard perhaps thought that Valentina had a point-- that the only way for her to kill of her demons was to finish what she started, to keep fighting.

The surveillance van was parked a couple of blocks away from Corona/Camacho's mansion. Juliana was joined by Barbara, one of the _Soldaderas’_ government spies acting as the getaway driver and Nayeli, one of their hackers.

“We have visuals of Val, Mariela and Camacho.” Nayeli confirmed as she pointed to the split screen on their monitor. Valentina made her way to the lobby of the mansion and grabbed a glass of champagne.

“So remember: Camacho’s office is three doors down to your right from the grand staircase.” Barbara spoke on the ladies’ earpiece. “There’s security manning the staircase so wait for Val to distract him before you enter, Mariela. After Val distracts him and she gets him off her tail, she’s heading to that secret room in the library that Camacho has. You’ll both be separated so you have to be prepared to make separate getaways.”

Nothing much happened for the first hour. The guests were happily feasting on the expensive food and indulging themselves in alcohol while the hired musical band played on. The women in the van had boxes of pizza and tacos piled on a corner of the van. They were prepared for the long night ahead so they stocked up on a lot of food. They knew the two ladies going covert in the party had to take their time so they can find a good window of opportunity to carry out their tasks.

Juliana was munching of her Hawaiian-flavored pizza when she put an oily finger to the monitor. “Who’s that ugly, scum of the earth talking to Carvajal?” A dashing man who seemed to be in his early 30's approached the activist.

“That’s Lucho Cortes. The youngest son of one of Armenta’s cronies.” Barbara explained.

“You mean the Cortes family that makes mezcal?” Nayeli asked for confirmation.

“Yes.”

“Why the fuck can’t he stay away from Carvajal?” The bodyguard had her eyebrows scrunched together in annoyance at the presence of this Lucho. She was pointing her oily finger like a dagger to the screen. 

“Why so aggressive, _capitana?_ ” Nayeli commented while her eyes stayed glued on the monitors, wiping the smudge left by Juliana's finger.

Juliana would not admit to it, but in the pit of her stomach she was irked by this Lucho. She was jealous. “He’s just…. Detracting us from the operation! Mariela won’t be able to sneak to the office if Carvajal can’t distract Hodor there.” Juliana pointed to a stocky, middle-aged man guarding the top of the staircase.

"We have to wait. Patience is a virtue,  _capitana."_ Barbara responded. Even the  _Soldaderas_ were used to calling the bodyguard by her former rank in the military. She insisted on being called by her first name but it did not quite stick to the women.

The bodyguard was getting agitated at this Lucho and how there was no progress in their operation. If they waited long enough, they might lose even more time to rummage through Corona/Camacho's files. “Change of plans, ladies.” Juliana grabbed the microphone from Barbara who had a puzzled look on her face as she spoke. “Mariela, get that assface away from Carvajal so she can get Hodor off of your trail, all right?”

Mariela pointed out Lucho to her partner, and the man immediately approached Lucho with a spring in his step thinking of the business proposal he had wanted to introduce to him. It was a good distraction since Valentina was out of the young man's sight and she could finally begin her task. The first steps of the plan went seamlessly-- Valentina successfully distracted the security guard whom Juliana called Hodor in the top of the staircase. Mariela rapidly ran up the stairs and headed to the office. The activist on the other hand, managed to go to the library without anyone seeing her.

“I’m in!” Valentina gleefully declaimed as she found the lever to open the secret passage. She walked towards the dark entryway and she was out of sight of the  _Soldaderas'_  surveillance.

Almost an hour had passed when Mariela was back in the van with a hard drive that she copied from an encrypted computer in Corona/Camacho's office. She took photos of the documents detailing every asset in the name Beltrán Camacho. They were surprised with how much his offshore assets were. While the three women were busy scanning over the files, Nayeli, in a shaky voice, declared, “We’ve lost contact with Val.”

“What do you mean you’ve lost contact with her?” Juliana had an angered look on her face, her eyes quickly surveying the monitor and repeatedly calling out for her protectee through the microphone.

“She said she found something good. But then, I heard ruffling noises. As if the microphone was removed and destroyed. The mansion has blind spots, and we have no idea where that secret room leads to.” The hacker explained.

Juliana was terrified. Her fear came true. Without any second thoughts, she quickly prepared her guns and other gadgets to rescue Valentina from yet again, imminent danger. “I’m going in.”

“Not with those clothes you’re not!” Mariela interjected.

Mariela lent Juliana her clothes and the ladies quickly glammed her up so she would not stick out like a sore thumb clad in her leather jacket and combat boots in the lavish party. She wore a black maxi dress with a slit that went up above her knee. She was wearing high heels, her face made-up and her hair parted to the side. She had a gun hidden in a holster on her thigh and a small one inside her carry-on purse. She rode her motorcycle to the mansion. As opposed to Valentina and Mariela, she entered at the back of the house where the caterer, the band, and the other house staff were passing by. Because it was busy, she went unnoticed.

As soon as Juliana found herself in the lobby, she retraced Valentina’s steps towards the secret room behind the shelves in the library.

“It seems to be locked from the inside. It won’t budge.” Juliana spoke as she kept pushing the lever to open the secret passage through the shelves.

“Well, I can’t do anything about that.” Nayeli responded. “It’s not part of house’s computerized security system so I can't hack into it.” It was old-school. It was to make sure that no one, at least none of the people who were supposed to be there could enter it.

Juliana spotted a vent atop one of the shelves. “To the vents I go then.”

The bodyguard crawled a good 5 minutes before she spotted Valentina. She was gagged and tied up in a chair. She was not surprised that Camacho had taken her captive. The man was swinging around an aluminum briefcase in his hand as he spoke, “You fell into my trap. I knew you would pull off something like this. Were you gathering evidence so you can bring down _Alianza? ”_ The man who had assumed the identity of Beltran Camacho threw the briefcase near Valentina's feet. It contained the files that they were hiding. “You’re getting too predictable, Carvajal.”

Valentina was furiously wiggling out of the bondage.

“Don’t try to fight it. No one’s going to save you now.” Corona/Camacho traced the tip of the gun from Valentina's cheek to her head. “I would love nothing else but to kill you for myself but someone else deserves this honor more.”

One of Camacho’s men entered and announced, “ _Presidente_ Armenta is on his way right now, _señor_ ”

With more men coming their way, Juliana had to act fast now if they-- or either one of them had any chance of getting out of the mansion alive. Juliana silently unscrewed the bolts for the vents and she was thankful that two of the three bodyguards had left the room. She pushed out the screen of the vent, jumped, and rolled to the floor. She shot Camacho’s bodyguard in the head and put Camacho in a chokehold while pointing a gun to his head.

“Turn around to look at me and you’re dead.” Juliana quickly disarmed Camacho with the gun in his belt holster.

“Whoever you are,” Camacho still confidently spoke, “you’ll be dead before I will be.”

Juliana turned around, using Camacho as her human shield as she shot the two men who came back for their boss upon hearing the gunshots. She shot both of the men on the head.

“You’re a sharpshooter eh, _hija_?” Camacho taunted while struggling to remove Juliana's arm around his neck.

“You’re not endearing by calling me _hija_ , Corona.” Juliana spoke the man’s real name as she clutched her arm tighter.

“Corona? I guess everyone’s solved the mystery. Bravo, _Soldaderas_!” The man cynically retorted.

Camacho quickly got out of Juliana’s chokehold and disarmed her. He pointed the gun alternately towards Juliana and Valentina. “Eenie, meeny, miney…”

“Mo.” Juliana drew out her other gun and shot Camacho in the head. Valentina screamed, the gag stifling her horror as blood splattered all over the walls and the floor. The bodyguard untied the activist. One of the leaders of Alianza was now dead.

“Fuck, Valdés! The operation did not say to kill Corona… or Camacho. They’re coming after me even more now!” The activist complained.

“We won’t get out of here alive with him up in our throats. On the bright side, that makes it one less enemy for you.” Juliana grinned at Valentina trying to make light of the situation. But her heart was pounding hard. She was uncertain whether she did the right move. In her head it was either one of them got shot or she shot him dead first. The first was not an option. “I don’t want to argue right now. Let’s just find our way out of here.” Juliana reminded.

Valentina grabbed the aluminum briefcase and the two women ran out of the secret room. They made their way out of the windows in the library to avoid getting detected. The bodyguard was running fast even in heels. Valentina thought it was impressive. When she finally caught up with fit woman, she grabbed her hand and asked, "Wait for me. You're going too fast." As they ran together, Valentina did not let go of Juliana's hand. She wondered if she noticed it, that she relished in the touch though meaningless they might have seemed. But Juliana did. She did not want to let go of Valentina's hand too.

As soon as the two women got on the bodyguard's motorcycle on a secluded part of the mansion, they saw Servando Armenta being greeted in the front porch by security. They dashed off unseen by anyone. It was definitely a close call.

“It’s a 10-99, ladies!” Juliana gave them the signal that the operation was a success. “Regroup at _Barrio Chino_ in 10. We’re headed there now.”

The crew in the surveillance van hollered and gave each other high fives.

 

* * *

 

The  _Soldaderas_ including Juliana stashed their finds in their secret HQ in Mexico City's Chinatown. It shocked them that Juliana made the impulsive decision to shoot Corona/Camacho dead. But nonetheless, they were considering her a hero. The  _Soldaderas_ agreed to analyze and collate all of the evidence in the coming days. They would have to prepare for another big release on a big exposé as soon as possible. However, all of them wanted to call it a night for now. It was indeed a stressful, tensed and unanticipated couple of hours for the fearless vigilantes.

It was a little past midnight when the duo made their way back to their hideout in Colonia Juárez. Valentina opened a special bottle of wine to celebrate their tiny victory-- although Corona/Camacho's death was not in their original plan. They sat at the rooftop of the converted surveillance center of the property.

“Barbara said the war is almost over. But I have a feeling it has just begun.” Valentina quickly took a swig from her glass of wine, letting the liquid warm her up. “It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t scared of Armenta coming after me even more aggressively now that his right hand man is really dead… and not just fake dead.” She dabbed a napkin to wipe her mouth and paused for a moment, “But having you here with me... it certainly makes me fear less of what's about to come.”

“Does that mean you trust me fully… completely now?” Juliana asked, scooting closer to the activist.

Valentina saw her breath as she exhaled to the cold midnight air. “I do. I trust you with my life.” Her blue eyes were piercing to Juliana. It was what the bodyguard had wanted all this time: for her protectee to trust that she knows the best way she could protect her-- or at least attempt her hardest to find the best way she could.

“Oh god, that sounds like we’re married!” Valentina put a palm to her face and giggled at how her words came off. She meant that there was no way she would not believe it if Juliana did not have Valentina's best interest at heart, although sometimes the activist may be greatly stubborn with her own decisions. 

“Who says we aren’t like a married couple?" Juliana joked. "We argue and fight like one. We live in the same house. You wear jewelry that I've given you...”

“You’re really pushing my buttons, Valdés.” Valentina cut the bodyguard off and nudged her shoulder with her own.

“I do it to make you smile.” It sound like a playful banter, but Juliana meant it. She always adored seeing Valentina smile. It was evident. The activist could not remove the smile lining her lips. She could not hide it even if she tried to.

Valentina finished her glass in one go to give her the courage to say the words that matched Juliana's honesty. “But if you keep doing that, I might just fall in love with you.”

 _I’m already there,_ Juliana spoke in her mind, but she was not quite ready to admit it.

“And whose fault is it when the pact breaks?” The bodyguard quizzically spoke. 

Valentina bit her lower lip, stifling a chuckle. She knew it was sounding more and more ridiculous whenever they brought up that pact-- a pact they made to pester each other without any real consequences if they broke it.

Juliana poured Valentina another glass. “How about this…” she breathed in deeply and hoped that what she was about to propose would not sound preposterous to Valentina. “Just to take a short break from all of this craziness… Let's say I won’t be Captain Marvel and you won’t be Wonder Woman for a day. For a while, I won't be ending wars and you won't be fighting for those who cannot fight for themselves.”

Valentina laughed at how geeky Juliana was as she referenced her favorite comic superheroes. They were indeed like the two incredible women: Juliana was Carol Danvers and Valentina was Diana Prince.

The bodyguard turned around with a serious look on her face. "Would you go out on a date with me?" When Valentina had a surprised look on her face and was not able to respond immediately, Juliana began to ramble. “Let’s just be… normal for a bit. You know... go on a date and…”

“Going on a date. Like real people do?” Valentina interrupted, thinking how adorable Juliana was as she was scrambling for words. She was not able to respond immediately because she was not expecting for Juliana to ask such a thing. She was ready for a funny retort whenever the ex-soldier put her moves on her, but this was Juliana being her genuine self. Valentina felt it. She could not bear making fun of something that Juliana was pouring her heart into.  

Juliana nodded her head. “Know that if you say yes to this, it doesn’t mean that we’ve broken the pact.”

Valentina was aware of the stretch of logic they were making with this pact, and how it seemed ridiculous the more they asserted it, reminded it to each other. It was like a dumb staring contest and whoever blinked first, lost. There was no consequence to losing, but little did they know, they would gain everything if they did. Juliana was hoping Valentina would say yes-- that she would not turn her earnest invitation down. But Valentina was way ahead of her.

“You don’t have to press it on me too much, Valdés. We’ve slept together and it doesn’t mean that I’m in love with you. The pact still stands. A little date won’t hurt.” The activist nonchalantly spoke, booping Juliana’s nose and pressing her chin dimple as she hid the excitement just underneath her voice. “It’s a date.”

The two women sweetly beamed at each other. The bodyguard took a deep breath as she brought her gaze up in the heavens, as if there were deities above she had to thank for this miracle to happen-- for Valentina to say yes to her request.

But there was no miracle in all of this, at least with what the fates had written for them; their paths were meant to cross inevitably. They were meant to find each other (and be together) even at the darkest hour of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Childhood Sweethearts AU will be updated on the weekend :) Thanks for being patient!
> 
> Oh and also, for those of you trying to send me asks in Tumblr... I forgot that I had turned off my "ask" button XD. Someone had pointed it out. It's back on now so shoot me anons there if you like.

**Author's Note:**

> I made a poster for the fic. Check it out!  
> http://sapphichaux.tumblr.com/post/183229360971/when-the-night-is-over-juliantina-bodyguard-au
> 
> Also, I made a playlist for the fic-- sort of like a soundtrack for it. I'll be adding tracks as I go along-- it's mostly female-led rock vocals. Follow if you wish! :)  
> https://open.spotify.com/user/12140903294/playlist/6FFwlLll27xjp7woq3C74e?si=sf-91UazSPSn0ZDKWq1alQ
> 
> Thanks for reading <3


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